JD Wetherspoon to open 30 new pubs, create 1200 jobs
Thursday, December 28, 2006 9:10:02 AM ET
newratings.com
LONDON, December 28 (newratings.com) – UK-based pub chain JD Wetherspoon (JDW.ISE) Thursday announced plans to open 30 new pubs and create 1200 news jobs next year.
JD Wetherspoon’s chief executive, John Hutson, said that the company hoped that with the implementation of the smoking ban in the country’s pubs, the number of visitors would increase. The company’s non-smoking pubs have evoked an encouraging response, Hutson said. JD Wetherspoon, which currently has 662 pubs, plans to invest £35 million in 30 sites next year, including Sheffield, Bishop Auckland, St Austell, Hertford and Devizes, Wiltshire. The company also announced plans to invest an additional £25 million on its existing outlets, including the creation of outside smoking areas
