Star completes £750k refurb of long-shut Waddington pub

Star Pubs has expanded its managed operator estate to 220 pubs after completing a £750k refurbishment of the Horse and Jockey in Waddington, its largest Just Add Talent (JAT) project of 2025. The Grade II-listed site had been shut since 2018.

The scheme is one of four major JAT conversions carried out by the company in the final quarter of the year. Star spent £1.59m turning Gibsons in York, the New Pin in Chellaston and the Canterbury Tales in Canterbury into managed operator pubs, with three of the four projects bringing long-term closed venues back into use.

In total, Star has added 32 JAT pubs to its estate in 2025. The company said typical refurbishments cost £255k per site and have created an estimated 200 jobs.

The Horse and Jockey has been redesigned to serve a broad mix of customers. The layout includes a bar, two lounge and dining areas, and a games room fitted with halo darts, a new pool table and screens showing Sky and TNT Sports.

The interior has been upgraded while restoring original features such as timber and flagstone floors. A log burner has been fitted in the fireplace. Exterior work has renovated the building and added a walled courtyard garden with space for 130 people.

Mick Howard, operations director at Star Pubs, said: “We know what works and look to make the most of every pub, ensuring it has the right facilities for its local community.

“Customers love the combination of a great looking pub that offers something for everyone, and our new sites are flying. The low-cost, low-risk, high support Just Add Talent model is proving attractive with would-be pub operators in the current market, and there has been particularly high demand for our investment sites.