Heineken UK is investing £44.5 million to upgrade hundreds of pubs across the UK, a move expected to create 850 jobs.
The Edinburgh-headquartered business said 647 pubs within its Star Pubs estate will benefit, including 108 complete transformations.
In Scotland, £3 million will be invested across 27 pubs this year, creating 85 jobs, with a further 18 venues identified for potential refurbishment worth £2.6 million, subject to recruitment and planning approvals.
Aberdeen pubs set to benefit include the Brig Inn in Bridge of Don and the Carlton Bar on Castle Street. Heineken also owns The Old Kings Highway on The Green, The Newburgh Inn and The Snuggery on Market Street.
The programme will focus on modernising venues to better serve communities, with enhanced sports viewing, upgraded interiors, and improved food and drink spaces. This includes larger screens, expanded Sky Q access, and upgraded darts facilities.
Lawson Mountstevens, managing director of Star Pubs, said: “Pubs are a fantastic institution, admired the world over. We’re proud to be a leading investor in Scotland’s locals and to be playing a part in securing their future along with our dedicated and entrepreneurial licensees.
“Investment is essential if pubs are to remain a first choice for people looking for somewhere to socialise. It is also critical for pubs needing to generate extra revenue to fund the sustained increases in running costs they’ve faced in recent years.
“However we can only do so much; the root-and-branch reform of business rates that the industry has been calling for over many years is urgently required, as well as a lowering of the burden of taxation on pubs – including VAT and beer duty."