Heineken to invest £2.2m in North West pubs with 6 Lancashire pubs chosen for funding

Heineken is investing £39m in upgrading and reopening pubs in its Star Pubs’ estate in 2024 with six Lancashire pubs chosen for investment.

Over £2.24m is allotted to pub investments in the North West with a further £1.04m invested by licensees, which will create 98 local jobs in the region.

The six Lancashire pubs to benefit from Heineken funding are The Boathouse in Appley Bridge, The Royal Oak in Aughton, The Spinning Mill in Colne, The Victoria in Lostock Hall, The Black Bull in Great Eccleston and The Old Oak in Longridge.

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Two North West pubs that have benefited from the investment so far in 2024 are The Whitakers Arms in Accrington and The Coach & Horses in Carlisle.

With working from home more commonplace and people looking to save on travel, major refurbishments will concentrate on transforming tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals.

Subtle zoning will signpost pub goers to the area likely to suit them best, enabling different groups of customers to simultaneously enjoy a variety of activities – from watching sports to dining – without disturbing each other. 

Dividing screens and distinct changes to lighting, sound systems and furniture styles will help delineate the zones. 

Reflecting customers’ increased expectations, the projects will be carried out to a high standard and will impact every part of the pubs, from the toilets to the gardens. Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The LEP’s free emails

Other common changes will include overhauling cellars with state-of-the-art dispense equipment to ensure consistently perfect pints and repositioning tills to speed up service. 

Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ Managing Director, said: “People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. 

“Pubs have proved their enduring appeal; after all the disruption of recent years, Star is on track to have the lowest number of long-term 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 maintaining and upgrading 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, need Government support to reduce the enormous tax burden they shoulder.”