Star Pubs invests £4.6m into outdoor spaces

An investment of £4.6m will be used to revamp the outside spaces of hundreds of pubs, Heineken-owned operator Star Pubs has announced.

With the money going into creating great outdoor spaces in 2024, a total 156 pubs are set to benefit from the external upgrade programme. 

Star’s budget for outside spaces will upgrade gardens at 86 pubs and is concentrated on developing areas that will generate additional trade at least nine months of the year and during wet British summers.

The psychology of spaces

To deliver maximum returns for licensees, Star says it is taking a strategic approach to its redecoration projects, focusing on reflecting and promoting each pub’s internal offer to passersby via its external look and signage.

As part of the initiative, all Star’s project teams have been through training in the conscious and subconscious signals that a pub’s exterior communicates. Mural signs and heritage colours will be used at premium venues, while community locals will have classic swing signs and paintwork in traditional pub colours like burgundy. 

"A pub’s exterior is just as important as the interior," says Chris Moore, property director for Star Pubs. "The outside is like product packaging; it must marry with what customers find inside and encourage potential passing customers to try it. People want a premium experience when they go out. Attractiveness is key – everything has to be on point. Done well, a stunning garden will elevate the inside too.

"Pub goers have lost none of their enthusiasm for sitting outside since the pandemic, and going to a lovely pub garden with friends is now firmly established as a favourite consumer occasion. Following trials at our managed operator pubs we’re investing in weatherproof structures, and this year’s chilly wet weather underlines the value of doing that."

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