Pub company to create 69 jobs with £3.1m investment
Heineken UK is set to invest £40m in upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs division this year, creating nearly 1,000 new jobs across the country.
Some 25% (608) of the company’s 2,400 pubs will benefit from enhancements during the year, with 104 of these earmarked for revamps costing £120,000 plus.
£3.1m is earmarked for pubs in the East Midlands with licensees expected to invest £153,000 on top. Some 14 pubs in the region have been identified for improvements subject to completion of legal documents. These include the reopening The Wheel at Ticknell, where work is due to start at the end of May and The Five Bells, Bugbrooke in early June. Both pubs have been closed for a number of years. The Duke of Burbage in Buxton, closed for over three years, is also earmarked for investment late summer.
Work begins this week on a revamp of The Bridge Inn, Sandiacre. Another East Midlands pub that has already benefited from investment this year is The Coach & Horses, Ashbourne.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director said: “Consistent investment – rather than a stop, start approach – and a strategy of creating great locals have been key to helping our pubs weather the storms of the last few years.
“HEINEKEN sees firsthand the value in great British pubs and their ongoing popularity. It recognises that Brits love their locals and that well-invested pubs trade better. This £40 million inward investment from a Dutch business into UK pubs is a resounding vote of confidence in the future of the sector.
“The investment in The Coach & Horses, Ashbourne has had a terrific response from local residents. Even with pressures on disposable income, people in the East Midlands are still prioritising a trip to their local, valuing it as an everyday treat and as a way of connecting with their community. But they want to be guaranteed a quality experience: relaxing in an attractive setting is an important factor when pubgoers choose where to spend their money.
“The vast majority of our pubs are leased by independent operators who run them as their own. In partnership with our licensees, our investment programme keeps alive the great British tradition of individual locals, each with its own unique feel and serving the particular needs of its community.
“Star Pubs’ licensees employ some 25,000 people, support thousands of local suppliers and raise millions for charity. Pubs are the lifeblood of their communities and growth engines for the UK economy, however, they are being penalised by a disproportionate tax burden. We urge the Government to rectify this distortion when proposals to overhaul business rates are drawn up this year.”
