Here’s why
Heineken is set to invest a further £20m upgrading its Star Pubs & Bars estate across the UK in 2017, taking its total expenditure on pubs to c.£100m over the last five years.
The biggest winners will be rural and suburban pubs with around £10m earmarked to transform them into great local pubs, introducing food and coffee, for the whole community to enjoy.
With competition for leisure spend increasing and growth of coffee shops, pubs need to adapt to changing consumer demands. Exclusive new research, carried out by Populus on behalf of Heineken, showed that nearly a quarter (23 percent) of British adults visit their local pub once a week or more. But pubs that fail to keep pace with evolving consumer demands have struggled.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs & Bars managing director, said: “Vibrant pubs are an affordable, fun place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together. But as consumer demands have changed, pubs that struggled to keep pace have closed. We believe pubs run by skilled operators and backed by transformational investment can thrive in their role at the heart of communities.
“Two thirds of Star pubs are located in suburban or village locations.
“Residents in these areas are looking for the same choice and quality of drinks, good food and entertainment on their doorsteps as they get in city centres. Over the past five years we have invested c. £100m in transforming our pubs in hundreds of communities across the country. The continued investment creates pubs people want to use, benefitting local communities and creating local jobs.”
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