A PUB company with various venues in Hampshire has introduced a blanket pay rise for its staff to help combat the cost-of-living crisis.

Henderson Pub Co, which runs the Hunters Inn in Romsey, The Dolphin Inn in Hursley and is soon to re-open The Cricketers in Alresford, has announced an eight per cent pay rise for all its team members.

The aim is to support and reward the business's "hard-working" staff and support them through the current financial climate.

Managing director Chris Schutrups said: "We're aware that our colleagues and valued team members are feeling and are likely to feel pressures as costs continue to rise in the wider economy. It's our job as a business to ensure our team members are supported and rewarded for their incredible work.

"The success of our business is solely down to the great people we have working with us to deliver an exceptional experience to our customers, we have ambitious plans for 2023 and need to retain and attract the very best talent in the communities where we are based."

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Chris and his wife Nicola Schutrups founded the company in 2022, starting with The Hunters Inn in Romsey. Since then, Henderson has continued to purchase or invest in eight businesses, with The Cricketers in Alresford being its latest acquisition.

The couple prides themselves on transforming poorly performing hospitality businesses into customer-focused community assets.

Operations manager, Matt Day, said: "I am proud of the growth we've experienced over the last 12 months, during a time when there has been economic and political headwinds. This company-wide pay increase is just one of a package of benefits we are rolling out to our team members on our drive to be the best local employer in hospitality."