Heineken UK is to invest £42m into upgrading 660 of its pubs around the country this year as well as creating more than 700 jobs.
A total of 137 pubs will have a makeover costing over £125,000 each, bringing the company's investment in refurbishing its Star Pubs & Bars’ estate to £115m since Covid hit and to £300m since 2014.
Heineken UK said the revamps will "reflect two long-term trends that have been accelerated and amplified by the pandemic – pubgoers’ increasing demand for quality and for outdoor socialising".
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Lawson Mountstevens, managing director, Star Pubs & Bars, said: "People have stayed closer to home over the last two years due to the pandemic and turned to their local for the kind of experience they’d previously have travelled to a city centre, restaurant or bar to find.
"They don't want to turn back time: they expect better quality including food and specialty drinks – such as cocktails – that are harder to recreate at home.
"It’s the same with gardens. Sitting outside at the pub has become a new occasion and, if the outside space is good enough, customers will wrap up to enjoy it even in the winter months.
"Outdoor facilities also remain important for those who are still cautious about going out as the UK learns to live with Covid.
"The cost-of-living squeeze on wallets is magnifying these trends. People are looking for a really great experience when they go out.
"These are challenging times. However, we are confident that pubs which adapt to pubgoers’ changing needs will have a bright, long-term future."
