Star marks new JAT milestone
Heineken-owned Star Pubs has opened its milestone 250th Just Add Talent (JAT) pub.
Star Pubs
Star Pubs announces senior management changes
Star Pubs has completed a series of senior management changes, with new responsibilities for three senior staff covering its pubs in the north of England, Scotland and Cumbria.
Heineken and Amazon launch pub discovery service
Heineken has partnered with Amazon to launch a Fire TV service designed to help consumers discover pubs and bars and drive visits to participating Star Pubs.
Star Pubs rolls out free reputation tool to L&T estate
Star Pubs is giving its leased and tenanted operators free access to an online reputation management tool following its success across the company’s Just Add Talent estate.
Continued capex key to success at Star as long-term closed sites reopen
Star Pubs managing director Lawson Mountstevens has hailed a strong year for Star Pubs and stated its expansion plans will continue.
PROPERTY: Individual Restaurants moves into pubs with new venture
This property round-up includes mentions from Star Pubs, NEOS, Nancy Spains, Punch and more.
Star reopens Exeter pub after largest JAT investment of 2026
Star Pubs has reopened a closed Exeter pub following its biggest Just Add Talent (JAT) refurbishment of 2026.
Heineken in talks to buy 300 Stonegate pubs, reports claim
Heineken’s pub arm is reportedly in talks to buy around 300 pubs from Stonegate Group in a deal that could be worth £300m.
Operator to reopen pub after three-year closure
North London pub operator Enda Murray has taken on his first Star Pubs lease with the Ship on Tottenham High Road.
Game plan: why pubcos are investing in sport
Live sport is becoming a more deliberate part of pub estate strategy as operators invest in technology, viewing areas and dedicated formats to turn major fixtures into reasons to visit.
MY PUB
MY PUB: The Royal Oak, Brockham, Surrey
Serendipity led to Chris Collier taking on the Royal Oak in Brockham, Surrey, which is a village pub that comes with a ‘meerkat retreat’ alongside it.
Star Pubs outperforms wider pub market as Heineken UK grows
Heineken UK has highlighted the performance of its Star Pubs estate after reporting growth in the first half of the year.
Star operator calls on PCA in ‘David v Goliath’ dispute
The operator of a south-west London pub has filed a formal referral to the pubs code adjudicator (PCA) following a dispute with Star Pubs over tied supply arrangements, dilapidations and the future of the business.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Nancy Spains to open first Bristol pub
This property round-up includes updates from Nancy Spains, O’Neill’s, Mitchells & Butlers, and more.
Star restores ‘superb’ music pub to ‘former glory’
Star Pubs is set to reopen a well-known music pub in Leicester following a £418,000 refurbishment.
Star expands Scottish JAT estate with £280k revamp
Star Pubs has expanded its managed operator estate in Scotland with the reopening of a historic Edinburgh pub following a £280k refurbishment.
Elephant’s Head operator eyes pubco growth
Paul McAstocker is looking to grow a small pub company after transforming the Elephant’s Head in Camden into a live music-led pub.
Star Pubs backs training push as recruitment pressures persist
Star Pubs is exploring rostering tools to help licensees manage staffing costs more effectively, as recruitment and retention pressures continue to affect the pub sector.
Star Pubs to invest £6.69m in outdoor upgrades
Star Pubs is investing £6.69m in outdoor areas and pub exteriors across around 850 sites this year.
‘Great pubs will always thrive’: Heineken backs Star Pubs with £44.5m
Heineken UK is to invest £44.5m across 647 pubs in its Star Pubs estate this year, in a bid to drive revenue opportunities and keep pubs relevant in a challenging market.
Apprentice star to open third pub
An Apprentice candidate is set to open a new pub in Stockwell after securing a site with Star Pubs.
Star operator reflects on 30 years of service
A Star Pubs licensee in Buckinghamshire has been recognised for three decades of “tremendously uplifting” service.
Research reveals what makes the ‘perfect local’
A Star Pubs study has revealed the key features pubgoers value most from their local.
‘Field of landmines’: operators warn over Employment Rights reforms
Hospitality operators have stressed the Government’s Employment Rights Act could create new operational pressures for the sector as reforms around sick pay, contracts and dismissal begin to take effect.
Star reopens Truro pub as JAT expansion gathers pace
Star Pubs has reopened The Market Inn in Truro following a three-year closure, marking its first Just Add Talent managed operator pub in Cornwall.
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.
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.