The Region’s Number One Entertainment & Classifieds Newspaper ISSUE 1570 // 8th may - 14th may
LOCAL FOOTBALL & SPORT // 7 DAY TV LISTINGS // 50+ NEWS & ADVICE
Heineken to reopen more than 60 closed pubs Brewing giant Heineken will reopen 62 pubs that were closed in recent years and invest £39m in refurbishing hundreds of sites across the UK including The Black Bull in Ecclesfield plus The Junction and Ship Inn in Barnsley. The company said the cash injection into its Star Pubs & Bars chain will create more than 1,000 new jobs. The UK pubs industry has been hard hit by closures both during the Covid pandemic
and afterwards as cost of living pressures weighed on consumer spending. Between 2021 and 2023, pubs have shut at a rate of 500 a year, according to the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA). A spokesperson for Star Pubs & Bars said: “It would be unrealistic for any major leased and tenanted pub company to have all its pubs open at any one time.” They said the number fluctuates on a range of factors, but added: “Around 95% of ours
pubs are open at any one time.” Star plans to renovate more than 600 pubs, choosing locations it said reflect how many of its customers have cut back on how often they commute into city centres. Heineken said: “With working from home more commonplace and people looking to save on travel, major refurbishments will concentrate on transforming tired pubs in suburban areas into premium locals.” The company said that by the end of
this year, the UK operation will have reopened 156 pubs since the start of 2023, “reducing the number of closed pubs in its estate to pre-pandemic levels”. The average price of a pint of draught lager reached £4.71 in March, according to the Office for National Statistics, compared to £3.76 in February 2020 before widespread pandemic lockdowns the following month. Meanwhile, the number of pubs in the UK has fallen from 47,200 in 2019, before Covid,
to 45,350 in 2023, data from the BBPA shows. However, pub numbers have been declining for some time. A decade ago there were 52,500 in operation which is 7,150 more than 2023. Heineken hopes the revamp of its pubs will tempt drinkers and diners back, including using “subtle zoning” to allow customers to enjoy different activities like watching sports and dining “without disturbing each other”.
ALL MAJOR BRANDS STOCKED
Come & Treat Your Furry Friends!!! MOOR MARKET SHEFFIELD UNITS 65-71 (OPP. CARD SHOP)
-5PM
OPEN 6 DAYS // MON-SAT // 9AM
TELEPHONE: 0114 205 8335
CRYSTAL PEAKS MARKET UNITS 30-31 (OPP. CARD SHOP)
OPEN 7 DAYS // MON-FRI // 9AM -5PM SATURDAY 9AM-4PM // SUNDAY 10AM
TELEPHONE: 0114 205 83
25
- 4PM
GIRLS ALOUD REUNITE FOR SHEFFIELD SHOW
PAGE 4
! ! ! D E T N A W SOFAS & SUIT
TOP PRICES PAID!
ES
BEDROOM FURNITURE DOMESTIC APPLIANCES ALL TYPES OF FURNITURE
TERRY’S FURNITURE CENTRE
Wordsworth Drive (Off Wordsworth Avenue) • Sheffield S5 8NP
0114 231 0441
TerrysfurnitureCentre