Type
Business expansion
Country
United Kingdom
Region
Location of affected unit(s)
Sector
Hotel / Restaurants
Accommodation And Food Service Activities
Food And Beverage Service Activities
56.3 - Beverage serving activities

1,200 jobs
Number of planned job creations
Job creation
Announcement Date
28 December 2006
Employment effect (start)
1 January 2007
Foreseen end date
31 December 2007

Description

Leisure group JD Wetherspoon has announced plans to open 30 new pubs in 2007, creating 1,200 jobs. The expansion plans come as the pub group prepares for the introduction of a smoking ban in England and Wales.

Wetherspoon said it hoped the ban, which is due to come into force next year, would eventually encourage more people to visit its pubs. The company already prohibits smoking in many of its pubs, and said it would invest £35 million ($69 million) in the new sites.

Wetherspoon added that it planned to spend £25 million on its existing estate of 662 pubs, including creating smoking areas outside of pubs.

Smoking is already banned in Scottish pubs and is set to be prohibited in Wales and Northern Ireland from 2 April and in England from 1 July 2007.


Sources

  • 28 December 2006: BBC Website

Citation

Eurofound (2006), JD Wetherspoon, Business expansion in United Kingdom, factsheet number 64677, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/64677.