LONDON: British pub chain JD Wetherspoon plans to open an additional five to six pubs in Ireland over the next 12 to 18 months, founder Tim Martin said on Friday.
Speaking shortly after the group reported a small drop in annual profit as higher costs and new cut price food and drink offers added to margin pressures, he said the company’s Irish bars were performing strongly.
The group currently operates five bars in Ireland, including The Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock, The Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire, The Great Wood in Blanchardstown, and The Old Borough in Swords. The Linen Weaver, the company’s first pub outside of Dublin opened in Cork city earlier this month.
“It’s still early days in Ireland with us just having opened four out of our five bars in recent months but there’s been an extremely good reception and it is obvious that people like our pubs,” Mr Martin told The Irish Times.
“We’re delighted with the sites and with the sales so far and the only people who don’t seem to be excited by our presence in Ireland are Guinness and Heineken for whom I’m about as popular as Vladimir Putin is in Kiev,” he added.
The chain, which famously fell out with Heineken last year, doesn’t sell either Heineken or Guinness products in any of its Irish bars.
