For the past decade pubs have been closing across the UK at a pace that could bring a tear to the eye of even the most hardened drinker.
In 2022 386 boozers closed across the country, while in the first half of last year more than two pubs were closing each day (according to research by commercial real estate analysts Altus Group). The pubs were either demolished or converted into homes and offices.
Booze giant Heineken has revealed plans to reverse this trend, and has said it is going to reopen 62 pubs in the UK this year.
Star Pubs and Bars – the UK pub arm of Heineken – currently runs roughly 2,400 pubs, and it will be investing £39m in 612 pubs in their roster, in an effort to ‘transform[ing] tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals’. Of the 612, 62 will be currently closed pubs that are due to be reopened.
According to Sky News, two in Essex have already reopened. The next is set for Bromsgrove – near Birmingham – later this month.
Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs’ managing director, said: ‘People are looking for maximum value from visits to their local. They want great surroundings and food and drink as well as activities that give them an extra reason to go out, such as sports screenings and entertainment.’ The company’s plans will also create more than 1,000 jobs.
He added: ‘Creating fantastic locals that can accommodate a range of occasions meets this need and helps pubs fulfil their role as vital third spaces where communities can come together.’
See below for a list if Star Pubs and Bars locations set to reopen in 2024.
- The Cherry Tree, Witham, Essex
- The Crown & Anchor, Aveley, Essex
- The Wildmoor Oak, Bromsgrove, Birmingham
- The Black Bull, Ecclesfield, Sheffield
- The Hesketh Tavern, Cheadle Hulme, Stockport
- The Junction, Wombwell, South Yorkshire
- The Manvers Arms, Radcliffe on Trent, Nottinghamshire
- The Punch Bowl, West Hallam, Derbyshire
- The Rose of Denmark, Bristol
- Roxy’s Steak & Tap, Twickenham, London
- The Talbot, Cheslyn Hay, Staffordshire
- The Winterton Arms, Chiddingfold, Surrey
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