London brewer Young's opens no-smoking venue

London brewer Young's has opened its second entirely smoke-free pub following a £1m refurbishment.

Managed house the Duke's Head in Putney is one of only two in the area which has banned smoking throughout.

The brewer is planning to open two more smokefree pubs in its 120-strong managed estate before the end of the year.

The openings follow the conversion of the tenanted Rising Sun in Epsom, Surrey to smokefree trading last month.

Lee Bartlett, general manager of the Duke's Head, said that refurbishing the Duke's Head had brought fresh thinking to how the pub should be run.  "After the refurbishment we thought a ban on lighting up would also help breathe new life into the pub," he said. "We are confident that our smoke-free environment, in addition to the refurbishment will attract even more new customers that would otherwise have stayed away from the traditional image of a smoky pub."

Young's next smoke-free managed pubs will be the Waterfront, a brand new riverside development in Wandsworth and the Dog & Fox in Wimbledon, which is currently undergoing a £1m refurbishment and due to re-open early December. 

Estates director Tom Hutchings said Young's was now moving ahead fast in preparing for the ban.

"The whole estate has been obsessed and assessed for the smoking ban over the past six months. We've looked at the competition and we've come up with the right solution for every pub," he said.

"It's not just about accommodating smokers - it's about making the most of the outside area, and getting the investment right. It might be tough in the short term, but in the long term it will be very good news for retailers with high standards.

The brewer is investing £1.2m to help its 105 tentanted pubs get ready for the ban.