Lomond Leisure takes on third site with Star Pubs
Scottish hospitality operator Lomond Leisure Group has secured its sixth venue and is eyeing further sites.
Star Pubs
Where hospitality investment is still flowing despite sector pressures
Pub operators have continued to deploy capital through acquisitions, refurbishments and managed expansion in early 2026 despite mounting cost pressures.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Heartwood Inns opens The Woodman in Southgate
This property round-up includes mentions from Heartwood Inns, M&B, Star Pubs and more.
Star Pubs reports 10% rise in January L&T applicants
Star Pubs has reported a 10% uplift in applications in January compared to the same period last year, despite wider concerns about trading pressures across the sector.
Star plans to convert 35 pubs to JAT model this year
Star Pubs has unveiled plans to expand its managed Just Add Talent (JAT) estate with the rollout of 35 new sites in 2026.
Operator hits out at Star Pubs over Heineken price hikes
An award-winning multiple operator has branded Star Pubs a “band of merry thieves” in wake of the recent beer price hikes announced by Heineken.
Operators push back on Starmer’s ‘further support’ for pubs
Pub operators have reacted to Sir Keir Starmer’s suggestion that the Government could offer “further support” to hospitality businesses facing sharp increases in business rates, with JDW’s Tim Martin calling for “fairness and tax equality”.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Mulligans upgrades Cheltenham site and launches in Romford
This property round-up includes mentions from Mulligans, Star, Brunning & Price and more.
Star adds 220th managed pub after biggest investment of 2025
Star Pubs has completed its largest Just Add Talent (JAT) refurbishment of the year, reopening the Horse & Jockey in Waddington following a £750k investment and taking its managed operator estate to 220 sites.
Thousands sign petition to save 300-year-old city pub
A community in north London has launched a petition calling for the local council to grant Asset of Community Value (ACV) status to one of the area’s ‘oldest’ pubs.
PCA data reveals wide variation in pubco performance
Tenant satisfaction with the UK’s major pub companies varies far more widely than headline figures suggest, according to new company level data released by the pubs code adjudicator (PCA).
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Loungers opens fourth reimagined Cosy Club in St Albans
This property round-up includes mentions from Loungers, Star Pubs, Punch Pubs and more.
Oxfordshire operator grows three-pub estate in 12 months
Operator Stephen Williams has expanded his portfolio to three pubs in just one year, after taking on a lease for The Fox Inn, Boars Hill, with Star Pubs & Bars.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: The Shaston Arms reopens in Soho under new independent management
This property round-up includes mentions from Star Pubs, Urban Pubs & Bars, Shepherd Neame and more.
City operators ‘invested in growing hospitality business’ after expanding portfolio
Two entrepreneurs have taken on a second lease with Star Pubs, adding to their business portfolio.
After-work socialising adds £28.9bn to UK economy
After-work socialising will contribute nearly £29bn to the UK economy this year, according to new research from the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) commissioned by Heineken.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
St Austell reopens Dartmouth pub after ‘transformational’ refurbishment
This property round-up includes mentions from St Austell, Thwaites, Damm, Heartwood and more.
Multi-site momentum: Star Pubs licensees expand portfolios across the UK
Independent operators across the UK are expanding through Star Pubs & Bars’ leased model, with multiple licensees taking on second, third and even tenth pubs in 2025.
FEATURE: Four of the best – star pub chefs reveal secrets
A wave of star pub chefs is proving exceptional food and traditional pub values can go hand in hand – and drive serious profit.
Star Pubs injects £850k into coastal town pub
Heineken-owned Star Pubs and Scottish hospitality operators, the Discovery Group, have reopened a pub in East Lothian following an £850,000 renovation.
MY PUB
MY PUB: The Engineer, Harpenden, Hertfordshire
Multiple operators Pete Mann and Mike Fisher took on the Engineer in Harpenden in 2002 and have since gone on to build up a portfolio of four premium locals across Hertfordshire.
Star Pubs backs darts initiative with £120k investment
Star Pubs is investing £120,000 to help its pubs capitalise on the darts craze sparked by sensation Luke Littler.
PCA seeks evidence over suspected Star code breach
The Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) has called on current and former Star Pubs tied tenants to come forward over suspected breaches of the pubs code.
Former Peach Pubs directors to expand pub porfolio
Former Peach Pubs directors have taken on the Plough in Wollaston - their second leasehold with Star Pubs.
Worcestershire licensee takes on second Star Pub
Licensee Chris Madin has taken on his second Star Pubs lease – the Boot in Flyford Flavell, near Worcester.
Star Pubs invests £180k in loyalty card roll-out
Star Pubs is investing £180,000 in rolling out a loyalty card to help the operators of its 190 Just Add Talent (JAT) community and premium pubs to reward their regulars.
North-west multiple operators take on third Star Pubs lease
North-west multiple operators, Julie Panaro and George Catterall, have taken on a Star Pubs lease for the Feilden’s Arms in Mellor Brook, Blackburn.
Star Pubs invests in pub gardens and kerb appeal
Star Pubs is investing £4.5m in enhancing the exteriors of 171 pubs this year.
Star Pubs revamps wine offer with guest programme
Star Pubs is expanding its wine range with a bi-monthly guest programme, which aims to help pubs’ boost sales and engage consumers.
Heineken to invest £40m into Star Pubs
Heineken UK will plough £40m into its Star Pubs estate this year in a move that will see thousands of revamps and the creation of 1,000 jobs.
Star Pubs provides free coaching to help with mental health crisis
Star Pubs is launching new free coaching and guidance for mental health to support its Just Add Talent managed operators.
Star Pubs boss: Gov must stick to biz rates reform vow
The Government must follow through on its pledge to revamp business rates, according to Star Pubs central operations director Caren Geering.
Star expanding managed operator arm
Star Pubs has announced plans to grow its Just Add Talent (JAT) managed division by 30 pubs this year.
PUBS CODE ADJUDICATOR
Star reimburses tenant for arbitration costs after PCA intervention
Star Pubs has reimbursed a tenant £5,832 for costs the operator was ordered to pay in arbitration after intervention by the pubs code adjudicator (PCA).
Star opens 200th JAT venue after £350k investment
Pub company Star Pubs has opened its 200th Just Add Talent (JAT) managed operator site following a £350,000 investment.
Star Pubs honours one of its longest serving licensees
Heineken UK’s pub arm, Star, has awarded one of its longest serving licensees after two decades behind the bar.
Star introduces online darts tournament for pubs
Heineken UK’s pub arm, Star Pubs, has announced the launch of a UK-wide darts tournament for its leased and tenanted sites with darts teams.
Operators takes on second Star site
South Yorkshire operators Simon Woodcock and Richard Hepplestone are taking the lease on their sixth pub as they look to build a 10-strong estate in the region.
Star vows to invest £4.6m in gardens and outside spaces
Star Pubs is investing £4.6m in revamping the gardens and outside areas of its pubs this year with 156 pubs set to benefit.
Star unveils ‘biggest ever’ events support package
Star Pubs & Bars has announced its “biggest-ever” package of events support for its licensees, set to launch later this month.
Star invests more than £50m into pub estate
Star Pubs & Bars has injected more than £51m into its pub estate since September last year.
Star licensee marks 40th anniversary
Operators at a village pub in Lincolnshire have been recognised for their service to the community on their 40th anniversary at the helm.
Star injects more than £1.5m into Welsh pubs
Star Pubs & Bars has revealed a new look for its flagship site in Cardiff, Wales, following a £1.4m renovation project, its biggest single investment this year, and plans to plough a further £730k into Welsh venues.
BIG INTERVIEW
Why the JAT model is a Star for Heineken’s pubco
In the week Star Pubs & Bars announced it was set to boost the number of it Just Add Talent model pubs by 67%, operations director Mick Howard explained more about the move and what he would like to see from the current Government to help the sector.
Star to increase JAT pubs by 67% in 3 years
Star Pubs & Bars is set to accelerate openings of its Just Add Talent (JAT) managed operator pubs business to 250 sites within three years.
Star ploughs £60k into online help for licensees
Pub company Star Pubs & Bars has invested more than £60,000 in creating a one-stop online support platform for its licensees that it said is tailored to their pub’s offer.
Blind Tiger Inns snaps up 2 pubs with Star
North West pub operator Blind Tiger Inns is taking the leases of two new pubs with Star Pubs & Bars.
Star ploughs £6.8m into outdoor makeovers
Star Pubs & Bars is investing £6.8m in developing premium outdoor areas and revamping pub exteriors in 2023, benefitting 220 pubs.
Village pub reopens after £240k revamp from Star
Star Pubs & Bars has invested £240,000 into an overhaul of a Buckinghamshire village pub that reopened at the weekend.
New Star operators plan to have six pubs within two years
West Midlands pub operators Russell Moreton and Melissa Nicholls have gone multiple after taking on a pub with Star Pubs & Bars – and have plans to run six sites within two years.