Heineken UK is investing £39m in upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs’ estate this year in a move which it says demonstrates its confidence in the resilience of the great British local in the face of global uncertainty. The move will create an estimated 1,075 new jobs.
More than 600 of Heineken UK’s 2,400 pubs are in line for improvement, with 94 of these set for makeovers costing on average £200,000. The investment will also cover works to reopen 62 long-term closed locals in 2024. By the end of the year, the company will have reopened 156 such pubs since the start of 2023, reducing the number of closed pubs in its estate to pre-pandemic levels.
Amongst those given a new lease of life is The Ashford Arms at Ashford-in-the-Water. A Covid casualty, the Grade II listed inn closed in March 2020 but reopened four years later thanks to a joint £1.6m refurbishment by Star Pubs and Rob Hattersley of Derbyshire-based Longbow Venues. The funds have turned The Ashford Arms into a premium country pub with a new snug, two bars, a 107-cover restaurant, nine boutique ensuite letting rooms and a stunning 30-seater alfresco area with a retractable roof. The scheme created 50 new jobs and is benefitting local suppliers whose produce the venue uses.
Rob said: “We serve breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. The Ashford Arms ticks all the boxes, whether people want a pint with friends, a celebratory meal with loved ones or accommodation when visiting the Peak District. Local residents have embraced the new look pub and are very happy it’s a lovely feature of the village again. Trade took off like a rocket when we opened. We’ve been fully booked for meals, room bookings are flooding in and sales are a third higher than expected. It’s been a massive venture and could never have been done without Star Pubs’ financial support.”
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ MD, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment. Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.
“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of closed pubs since 2019. It’s a tribute to the drive and entrepreneurship of licensees and the importance of continued investment. We’ve spent more than £200m upgrading and maintaining our pubs over the last five years, and we’ll continue to invest to keep them open and thriving.
“Time and again we see the value consumers place on having a good local and how important it is to communities. Well-invested pubs run by great licensees are here to stay, but like all locals, they need Government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”
