Star extends rent concessions

Star Pubs & Bars has extended its rent reductions for leased and tenanted pubs, bringing its total concessions since lockdown to £21m.

The pub company, which is part of Heineken UK, has already given two thirds of its core leased and tenanted pubs a rent concession of 50% to 75%, whilst one third have received a concession of 75% or more.

Star confirmed licensees will continue to receive the same level of those individual rent reductions throughout July and August.

This new commitment means over £21m will have been invested into the pub estate since lockdown in March.

Star has also committed to replace pubs with fresh stock and set up the Pub Collective website, a portal for government advice, free learning resources and advice for tenants on how to adapt their offer during these extraordinary times.

The pub company has also introduced Swifty, a payment and loyalty app that enables consumers to order from their table.

Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star, said: “Throughout this crisis, we have worked with every pub individually to provide support and I’m grateful to all our licensees who have trusted us to do the right thing by them. Our business is built on those partnerships and we want to do everything we can to help make sure their businesses are sustainable long-term.

“We hope that the extension of the concessions offered can provide a degree of certainty to our pubs, as we all turn our collective focus on the complex task of reopening.

“Once restrictions are lifted, we want to see all of our pubs open, trading and operating as viable businesses as soon as possible. With lockdown measures starting to be eased, it’s important that we take a lead in making sure every pub has enhanced health and safety measures to make sure people feel safe when they revisit their local.”