Star Pubs to spend £4.5m upgrading outdoor spaces and exteriors

Heineken UK-owned Star Pubs has announced plans to invest £4.5m in refurbishing the exteriors of 171 pubs across the UK this year, with a focus on improving outdoor trading areas and enhancing kerb appeal. 

Some 88 pubs will receive garden makeovers, a quarter of which will be themes around Heineken brands such as Foster’s, Cruzcambo, Birra Moretti and Inch’s. The remaining 83 sites will undergo exterior building improvements, including repainting, new lighting and signage, upgraded entrances and decorative cladding. 

The upgrades are intended to support licensees by boosting sales and extending dwell time, particularly as consumers become more selective in their spending. 

Garden enhancements will include additional seating, pergolas, booth seating and decorative elements such as floral displays and lighting. Where feasible, seating will be positioned to maximise sun exposure and placed near entrances to ease access and service.

The average cost of the branded garden schemes is £17k. Features will include murals, pods, bean bags and branded archways, with some Foster’s-branded venues also receiving outdoor darts kits as part of the beer’s sponsorship activity.

Chris Moore, property director at Star Pubs, said: “Pre-pandemic, a great outdoor space was a nice-to-have, now it’s the norm and customers expect it. With pubs looking to offset the increased cost of doing business with higher sales, every inch of trading space should be developed.

“Even small unassuming spaces can be converted into attractive outdoor areas, whilst standard gardens can be transformed with designs that send sales soaring in good weather.”