Wetherspoon to invest £145m in new pubs and upgrades creating 2,000 jobs

30 March 2021, 07:58

By Nick Hardinges

@NHardinges

Wetherspoon is set to invest £145 million in opening new pubs and upgrading existing establishments, which will create 2,000 new jobs.

The national pub chain announced the ambitious plan just weeks before pubs reopen up and down the country as England's coronavirus lockdown eases.

Some 18 new pubs will be opened under the Wetherspoon name and "significant extensions and upgrades" will be made to dozens of its existing establishments.

People living in Leeds, Birmingham, Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, Sheffield, Felixstowe in Suffolk, Heswall on the Wirral, Dublin, Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen and Glasgow will be the first to enjoy the new pubs and extensions.

In total, the company is planning the completion of 75 projects to the tune of £750 million.

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That money will fund the addition of 15 new pubs and the upscaling of 50 existing pubs each year for 10 years, creating 20,000 new jobs.

Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: "Our immediate investment will provide work for architects, contractors and builders as well as result in 2,000 new jobs for staff in our pubs.

"We are geared up to start on the first projects within a few months.

"We are also committed to our long-term investment and job creation programme over the next decade.

"However, the investment is conditional on the UK opening back up again on a long-term basis, with no further lockdowns or the constant changing of rules."