Star’s £250,000 spend will revolve around equipping pub operators with materials and advice to open safely this summer, with each package containing in-depth guides for all areas of pub businesses in addition to a step-by-step risk assessment template.
As part of the deal, Star has negotiated preferential rates on Covid-19 safety equipment with catering equipment supplier Nisbets and on ‘Safe to Trade’ risk assessments with Shield Safety.
On top of this, with the help of a discount from foodservice supplier Brakes, Star has created an off-the-shelf menu of 22 best-selling dishes that can be delivered by a single staff member and is designed to minimise wastage.
Additional components of Star’s support package include free advice on licensing applications for garden space, access to new payment and loyalty app Swifty as well as relaunch marketing tools.
Discussing the rollout of the support package, Star Pubs & Bars’ managing director, Lawson Mountstevens explained that it had been devised at what is a “critical” time for licensees.
“In this period of uncertainty, we want to make it as easy as possible for our licensees to reopen, so we’ve taken a holistic approach that covers the whole of their business,” he said. “Licensees will have one chance to make an impact when they open their doors again.
“This package will help them get it right and generate customer loyalty that should benefit their pubs for years to come.
“Licensees have risen to the challenge during lockdown. Many have taken the opportunity to review and improve their offers and have supported their communities through this crisis, highlighting the valuable role pubs play in society. These are strong foundations which our support aims to build on.”
News of Star Pubs & Bars’ £250,00 investment in its latest support package comes after the pub company extended rent relief for leased and tenanted pub operators throughout July and August amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic - taking its total rent concession spending to around £21m.
