JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has hit out the Daily Mail over an “alarmist” article that wrongly suggested “dozens of pubs across Britain were earmarked for closure”. Wetherspoon said the piece on Tuesday (1 August), which said Wetherspoon had closed 29 pubs this year, was “misleading”
Mr Martin was speaking in response to an article headlined: “Wetherspoons closes more pubs with dozens of boozers across Britain earmarked for closure”.
Mr Martin said that of the 28 pubs Wetherspoon had closed this year, 15 have been sold to other pub companies and have reopened already or are to reopen soon.
Wetherspoon stated: “Describing pubs that are open as closed is inaccurate and alarmist. In general, the headline ‘Wetherspoons closes more pubs with dozens of boozers across Britain earmarked for closure’ and the article created a misleading impression.”
Mr Martin said: “Pub disposals are a sensitive issue. Hyperbole and exaggeration from the Daily Mail have created unnecessary alarm. Wetherspoon’s annualised sales are now approximately £2bn, the highest ever level, and are more than £100m per annum more than in the year before the pandemic. Profits, as we said in our recent trading statement, are increasing and employment is also at a record level. That is certainly not the impression the Daily Mail article gave.”
“Wetherspoon’s annualised sales are now approximately £2b, the highest ever level, and are over £100m per annum more than in the year before the pandemic.
“Profits, as we said in our recent trading statement, are increasing and employment is also at a record level.”
The pub chain which operates more than 820 pubs, had a further 22 sites either on the market or under offer.
In the same update it reported a 7.4% increase in year-to-date sales.
