Heineken to invest £44m in upgrading pub network

Heineken has announced it is to upgrade its UK pub network with a £44m investment programme which will see 500 of the company’s 2,900 venues renovated.

The upgrade plans are expected to cost an average of £170,000 per site, and Heineken says that the programme could create as many as 1,000 new jobs.

David Fordem, UK managing director of Heineken, said: “We are passionate supporters of the Great British pub and believe that well-invested pubs run by skilled and motivated operators will continue to prosper.

“We believe that our commitment to investment, and understanding of consumer trends, will help our licensees’ businesses to keep growing and ensure that the Great British pub remains at the heart of British life for generations to come.”

The UK government’s secretary of state for business, Greg Clark MP, added: “From pop-up breweries to historic watering holes, pubs are at the heart of communities and play a vital role in local economies. This record investment by Heineken and their creation of 1,000 new British jobs is another significant vote of confidence in the UK economy.”