Heineken to invest £2.16m to improve eight Lancashire pubs

Eight Lancashire pubs are set to get a new look by the end of the year as part of a national campaign by Heineken to upgrade 647 of its 2,350 strong Star Pub estate.

The pub giant will be investing £44.5m in the venues nationwide while £2.16m of this spend is in Lancashire pubs with licensees adding a further £415,000.

70 jobs will be created in Lancashire on the back of the investment.

Park Inn in Accrington, Royal Oak in Aughton, Old Oak in Longridge, pictured above with photo supplied by the Old Oak, Dog Inn in Whalley, Victoria in Lostock Hall, Dunkirk in Leyland, Plough in Blackpool and Anchor Inn in Colne are among the pubs seeing investment.

The Park Tavern in Accrington has been closed since January, the prominent pub reopened in mid-April following a £190,000 investment by local licensees Lorraine and Michael Morris and Star Pubs. 

Lorraine, the town's longest serving publican, remembers the pub back in its heyday and took on The Park Tavern with a view to restoring it to its former glory.

This has been achieved by giving the pub a smarter more welcoming décor with historic local pictures on the wall and a layout that caters for all occasions.

The pub includes a traditional bar, comfortable lounge dining areas with allocated dog friendly zones and one of the best games rooms in the area.

Funds have been spent on all-new equipment including a pool table, two halo-lit darts boards and a selection of traditional table games as well as a new AV system for screening major tournaments like the World Cup.

Lorraine said: "The refurbishment has turned out even better than we had hoped. We've had a fantastic reopening and received great feedback from residents, who love the changes and having their local open once again.”

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.

"However 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.

“Importantly, this investment will create flexible job opportunities in communities across the country and give many young people their first taste of the world of work.”