HEINEKEN UK

Report Reveals the Positive Role Pubs Play in Communities

Highlight how pubs are important social hubs that help to tackle loneliness and social isolation in local communities.
Provide evidence to show that when a pub closes the local community suffers demonstrating the important and positive role pubs play in communities.

Following almost a year of restrictions, regional and national lockdowns and tiers, people across the UK have been affected physically, economically and mentally due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with loneliness being a huge concern across communities. The usual places to meet, socialise and connect with people have been removed, and one of the key places for millions of Britons to do so in their ‘normal’ day to day life, is the Great British pub.

Against a backdrop of the devastating effect lockdown had on Heineken’s pubs, The Open Arms report, commissioned by The Campaign to End Loneliness (CtEL) and HEINEKEN demonstrates the important and positive role pubs play in communities.

HEINEKEN and CtEL launched the report in Feburary 2021 as part of the fifth year of Brewing Good Cheer, a campaign which aims to shine a light on how pubs are important social hubs that help to tackle loneliness and social isolation in our communities. The report reveals that 86% of respondents say when a pub closes the local community suffers and just over two third (64%) felt that their pub was one of the main places that people living in the local area can socialise.

Heineken’s SmartDispense helping to save the planet one pint at a time

Continuing to help pubs serve great quality draught beers and ciders whilst helping to save on water and energy.

In the seven years since it was first introduced to market, HEINEKEN’s innovative SmartDispense technology has helped thousands of pubs and bars to collectively save over 100 million pints of water.

SmartDispense technology has revolutionised the way draught cider and beer is stored and served in pubs and bars across the UK after every part of the standard system was overhauled to create a ‘smarter dispense’. The unique cooling and insulation in the system from keg to tap keeps cider and beer below three degrees, keeping it cleaner for longer, allowing the SmartDispense Technicians to clean lines four-weekly, as opposed to weekly in standard systems, in turn saving time and water.

Energy bills are a sizeable outgoing for pubs, so identifying savings can be hugely beneficial. No customer orders a warm pint, but cellar cooling can be a significant contributor to a pub’s carbon footprint. The SmartDispense system was the first draught dispense to only use energy-saving green cooling technology to chill beer and cider efficiently towards OºC. Coupled with extremely well insulated lines – known as pythons that deliver 20% less energy loss from keg coupler to tap – helps pubs to chill and serve great quality pints in a more sustainable way than ever before.