BREWING giant Heineken yesterday announced a £4 million investment in its Star Pubs & Bars estate in Scotland, focusing on a raft of major refurbishments and creating 92 jobs in total.

Heineken said 60 per cent of the expenditure would be on “major revamps” of nine pubs, with an average spend of £268,000.

It noted that pubs of all kinds would benefit from the investment programme, from city bars to neighbourhood locals. Food offerings will be developed and outside spaces enhanced, Heineken noted. The Park Bar at Ibrox is among the pubs undergoing a revamp.

Although the majority of refurbishments will be in the central belt, Heineken highlighted Blackfriars in Inverness, which has been closed since the autumn of 2017, as one of the pubs undergoing significant investment. It said the pub would be renamed The Optimist. The investment will include exposing the original brickwork and replacing the roof, with the two upper stories converted into eight letting rooms.

Star Pubs & Bars operations director for Scotland Brian Davidson, said: “In our experience, the greater and more visible the changes, the more a pub thrives following investment.”

Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said: “That investment will not only create a significant number of jobs, but will provide a boost to Scottish food and drink producers, who should benefit from more pubs serving locally sourced produce.”