JD Wetherspoons to open 18 new pubs, creating 2,000 jobs

JD Wetherspoon has announced it plans to open 18 new pubs, creating 2,000 new jobs in the process.

The openings are part of the group’s £145m investment into its 871 pubs, of which 57 are also expected to benefit from upgrades.

The first set of new pubs and extensions will be located in towns and cities including Leeds, Birmingham, Newport Pagnell, Heswall, Sheffield, Felixstowe, Dublin, Haverfordwest, Carmarthen and Glasgow.

Once the 75 projects in the pipeline are completed, Wetherspoon anticipates investing an additional £750m to open 15 new pubs and enlarging 50 existing pubs each year for 10 years with the group hoping to create 20,000 new jobs.

Tim Martin, founder and chairman said, JD Wetherspoon: “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.”