New life breathed into 600 UK pubs with 1,000 jobs created in £40m Heineken cash injection
Heineken is creating around 1,000 jobs as it pumps £40 million into its UK pub estate. Over 600 pubs of its Star Pubs will get a revamp, with dozens set to reopen over the next year. The brewer calls it a vote of confidence in the sector, despite rising costs.
Works have already started or been completed to reopen 10 pubs so far this year, with further sites that are currently closed earmarked for investment to welcome customers again.
UK Interest rates to be cut? Next to post profits boost: More Business in Brief
- UK interest rates are expected to be cut to 4.25 per cent this week, easing pressure on borrowers. Most economists see a 0.25 point cut as near-certain, with inflation now steadily falling. The Bank of England meets on Thursday, as it weighs global pressures and US tariff risks.
- Next is set to post rising profits this week, despite mounting cost pressures. It made over £1 billion last year and has raised forecasts for both sales and profits. Boss Simon Wolfson says early trading this year has been better than expected. But rising wages and tax costs continue to challenge the high street.
If ever there were an example of just how complex and international modern industry has become, it’s the film business.
From big-budget blockbusters to indie dramas, most productions today are stitched together across multiple countries. Casts and crews come from around the world. Scenes are filmed in diverse locations depending on landscapes, tax incentives or studio capacity. It's my understanding that even post-production can be outsourced internationally. In short, a film is rarely a product of one nation - it's a collaboration.
That’s what makes President Donald Trump’s proposed 100 per cent tariff on foreign-made movies so difficult to untangle. Practically speaking, it’s hard to define what counts as a “foreign” film when even US-backed productions shoot overseas or rely on international partners. The industry simply doesn’t follow neat national lines anymore.
Still, Trump’s broader concern shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. Since the early 20th century, film has always carried power beyond entertainment - shaping perceptions, spreading ideas and reflecting national values. As such, it's not unreasonable to acknowledge that countries competing for influence may also use film as a strategic tool. That, in part, explains why nations around the world are investing heavily in their own movie industries.
Whether tariffs are the right response is another question entirely. But Trump’s move highlights a deeper issue: in a globalised creative economy, protecting domestic culture while remaining internationally competitive is a challenge that’s only getting harder.
- A survey suggests more than half of UK homeowners are choosing to renovate rather than move. Rising mortgage rates and living costs are pushing people to improve what they already have. Compare the Market found 52 per cent had recently renovated or planned to do so soon.
- President Donald Trump has threatened a 100 per cent tariff on films made outside the US. He says foreign countries are luring studios away and calls it a national security threat. Trump claimed the US film industry is “dying” and warned of foreign propaganda. But it’s unclear how such a tariff would work, as most films are shot internationally.
- The legendary investor Warren Buffett is stepping down after six decades at the helm of Berkshire Hathaway. The 94-year-old investor will hand over to vice chairman Greg Abel by year end. He’s been praised as “everything good about American capitalism.” Buffett also took aim at President Trump’s tariffs, saying “trade should not be a weapon.”
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