Star Pubs, owned by Heineken, has been fined £2 million by the Pubs Code Adjudicator after finding serious and repeated breaches of the code over three years, officials said.
Investigators found that Star had forced tenants to sell “unreasonable levels” of Heineken beers and ciders when they asked to go free of a tie with the brewer, despite repeated interventions by regulators. A total of 12 breaches were identified.
Pubs Code adjudicator Fiona Dickie said: “The report of my investigation is a game changer. It demonstrates that the regulator can and will act robustly to protect the rights that Parliament has given to tied tenants.
“I will be holding discussions with all the companies I regulate following my findings about how they will ensure they are code compliant.
“My message is that if anyone previously had any doubts about my resolution to act when I find breaches, they can have no doubt now.”
