The Heineken UK programme includes the complete transformation of 108 pubs, including two on Teesside
The Five Alls in Stockton and the Three Fiddles in Guisborough to undergo refurbishements(Image: UGC)
Two Teesside pubs set for a major revamp as Heineken UK provide £44.5m investment ‘lifeline’ to the hospitality industry. In a cash-constrained economy the company has announced it is helping protect the great British local with the money to upgrade 647 pubs in its 2,350-strong Star Pubs estate in 2026.
The programme includes the complete transformation of 108 pubs costing £145,000 or more and will create an estimated 850 jobs. Of the money £1.94m is being spent in the North East and North Yorkshire with licensees adding a further £69,000 on top and 77 new jobs are being created as a result.
Five Alls in Stockton and Three Fiddles in Guisborough, which is currently looking for new tenants, are two of the pubs which will benefit from the revamp. They will join The Ship at Marske which has just reopened after being closed for a year after undergoing its £327,000 refurb as part of the investment.
Publican Gary Willis, who took over The Ship with is wife Simone, said: “It’s a fantastic refurbishment which has created jobs and a place for the whole community to come together. Residents are over the moon that it is back open and thriving.”
Gary Willis has taken over The Ship at Marske after its major revamp(Image: UGC)
Star Pubs say with hospitality businesses finding it difficult to secure finance in the current climate, the investment is providing a lifeline. Major refurbishments will focus on developing top quality locals that appeal to the whole community and have different areas for drinking, dining and sports or entertainment.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: “Pubs are a fantastic institution, admired the world over. We’re proud to be a leading investor in Britain’s independently operated locals and to be playing a part in securing their future along with our dedicated and entrepreneurial licensees.
“Investment is essential if pubs are to remain a first choice for people looking for somewhere to socialise. It is also critical for pubs needing to generate extra revenue to fund the sustained increases in running costs they’ve faced in recent years.
“Importantly, this investment will create flexible job opportunities in communities across the North East and the country more widely and give many young people their first taste of the world of work.”
But, he added: “We can only do so much; the root-and-branch reform of business rates that the industry has been calling for over many years is urgently required, as well as a lowering of the burden of taxation on pubs – including VAT and beer duty. We are calling on the Government to support us in bringing out the best in the Great British pub.”
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