Its latest support has been devised in line with the new tiered system in England, with similar support aligned to pubs facing restrictions in Scotland and Wales:
Tier one licensees are being offered a 30% rent concession, with Tier two licensees being offered a 75% rent concession, leaving 25% payable if they choose to open or a 90% rent concession leaving 10% payable if they close or if they operate as a takeaway only.
Tier three licensees are being offered a 90% rent concession leaving 10% payable if they close or if they operate as a takeaway only.
The move takes Star Pubs & Bars’ investment in rent reductions to £40m since March, the group says.
“We are doing what we can to support our licensees through hugely challenging times, but the pub industry needs real meaningful Government support to counter the draconian unjustified restrictions being imposed on it,” says Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs & Bars, Heineken.
The move follows the announcement earlier this week that the Government will give struggling pubs a single payment of just £1,000 to help them navigate the newly introduced tier system, a sum that Mountstevens describes as “derisory” and “insulting”.
“Pubs have invested millions in creating COVID secure environments and our industry has been thrown under a bus by this latest announcement,” he says.
“Failure to provide an adequate safety net will decimate many pubs and the communities they serve, as well as leaving lasting scars on those able to trade. We have been unfairly singled out with punishing restrictions which ignore the evidence that show pubs are safe environments.
“We urgently call on the Government to show leadership and put in place an action plan to help rebuild the pub industry in 2021.”