Heineken is set to spend a further £20m on pub improvements throughout 2016.
The company said almost 30% of Star Pubs & Bars’ 1,050-strong estate would benefit from the cash injection, which will fund 78 major refurbs with an average spend of £170,000.
The company said helping licensees to improve their food offer was the main focus of the investment, which will fund new kitchens and ‘flexible’ areas that can be used either for private dining and meetings or space for extra covers during busy times. Star aims to have 50% of its sales coming from food by 2020.
Star managing director Lawson Mountstevens said: “In the past three years, we have invested £58m to safeguard the great British pub. We work in partnership with our licensees to improve their pubs for the consumers they serve and help them grow their sales. Great community pubs need to adapt to changing consumer needs and we’re investing to ensure Star licensees can do just that.”
