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The Herald Scotland
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Heineken to create 150 jobs in Scotland with £4.5m pub investment
It said more than 600 of its 2,400 UK venues will receive investment funds to make improvements over the next year. The company has spent £1.28m reopening four long-term closed Scottish pubs in the last six months: The Howard Arms in Kilmarnock;The New Rhindsdale Tavern in Baillieston, The Scoonie Tavern in Leven and The Station Inn in Braidwood. Heineken said it has earmarked a further £4.5m for pubs in Scotland, which will result in an estimated 150 new jobs. READ MORE: 'Brilliant' and 'superb' Scottish cocktail bars named the best in the world 'No shortage of interest': Family sells popular pub after 20 years I did the Glasgow sub crawl sober and discovered what's killing our pubs 28 pubs have been identified for improvements, with 20 in line for "transformational works" costing on average £212,000, the brewing giant said. One such pub is Van Winkle in Glasgow, where a £275,000 revamp is underway to turn it into Gael & Grain, a pub celebrating Scottish food, drink and music. Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs' managing director said: 'We've invested over £1.28m in reopening four long-term closed pubs in Scotland in the last six months alone and they've all had a terrific response from local residents. Even with pressures on disposable income, people are still prioritising a trip to their local, valuing it as an everyday treat and as a way of connecting with their community. But they want to be guaranteed a quality experience: relaxing in an attractive setting is an important factor when pubgoers choose where to spend their money. 'The vast majority of our pubs are leased by independent operators who run them as their own. Investing in them keeps alive the tradition of individual locals, each with its own unique feel and serving the particular needs of its community. 'Star Pubs' licensees in Scotland employ some 2,500 people, support many Scottish suppliers and raise thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes every year. Pubs are the lifeblood of their communities and growth engines for the UK economy however they are being penalised by a disproportionate tax burden, which we hope will be addressed.' Heineken's announcement regarding investment in Scottish pubs comes on the same day First Minister John Swinney opens its new headquarters at 6 St Andrew Square in Edinburgh ahead of the expiry of the lease on its previous premises in South Gyle. Heineken, which employs over 500 people in Scotland, has invested £2m in remodelling the St Andrew Square offices.
Scotsman
05-05-2025
- Business
- Scotsman
The Scottish pubs reopening and revamping near you as Heineken invests £4.5 million
'Pubs are the lifeblood of their communities and growth engines for the UK economy' – Lawson Mountstevens, Star Pubs Sign up to our Scotsman Money newsletter, covering all you need to know to help manage your money. Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Beer giant Heineken is to invest £4.5 million in its Scottish pubs business as part of a £40m UK commitment that is expected to create as many as 1,000 jobs. Amid a challenging backdrop for the sector amid soaring costs, higher taxes and ongoing cost-of-living pressures, the firm has spent some £1.3m reopening four long-term closed Scottish pubs in the last six months - The Howard Arms, Kilmarnock; The New Rhindsdale Tavern at Baillieston; The Scoonie Tavern in Leven and The Station Inn at Braidwood. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A further £4.5m is being earmarked for pubs north of the Border under the investment in the Star Pubs division, which will result in an estimated 150 new jobs. Rick Houston at The Howard Arms in Kilmarnock. Picture: Mark F Gibson / Gibson Digital The group said 28 pubs have been identified for improvements, with 20 of these in line for 'transformational works' costing on average £212,000, subject to recruiting new operators. One of these is Van Winkle on Sandyford Place in Glasgow where a £275,000 revamp is under way to turn it into Gael & Grain, a pub 'celebrating Scottish food, drink and music'. Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs, part of Heineken UK, said: 'We've invested over £1.28m in reopening four long-term closed pubs in Scotland in the last six months alone and they've all had a terrific response from local residents. 'Even with pressures on disposable income, people are still prioritising a trip to their local, valuing it as an everyday treat and as a way of connecting with their community. But they want to be guaranteed a quality experience: relaxing in an attractive setting is an important factor when pubgoers choose where to spend their money. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The vast majority of our pubs are leased by independent operators who run them as their own. Investing in them keeps alive the tradition of individual locals, each with its own unique feel and serving the particular needs of its community.' The exterior of The Howard Arms in Kilmarnock, which has been reopened by Star Pubs. Picture: Mark F Gibson / Gibson Digital He added: 'Star Pubs' licensees in Scotland employ some 2,500 people, support many Scottish suppliers and raise thousands of pounds for local charities and good causes every year. Pubs are the lifeblood of their communities and growth engines for the UK economy, however they are being penalised by a disproportionate tax burden, which we hope will be addressed.' The Howard Arms in Kilmarnock reopened in November after a five-year closure thanks to a £395,000 joint refurbishment by Star Pubs and new licensee Rick Houston, who also runs The Cartvale at Busby. He said: 'The Howard Arms is an iconic Kilmarnock pub. There's a lot of love for it in the town and it had been much missed. We've had a fantastic response to the reopening. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Having been closed for five years, the pub needed a complete relaunch to get it back on its feet. A big investment was essential - a lick of paint wouldn't have cut it.'
