On-trade

Heineken & Wetherspoon reach agreement

JD Wetherspoon has reached agreement with Heineken to stock a range of its products in its UK pubs but it will stock just three in its pubs here: Beamish, Fosters and Symonds Cider - but not Murphy’s Stout or Heineken Lager.

And Wetherspoon’s Commercial Director Paul Hine said, “In the Republic of Ireland we’ll serve the three Heineken products at prices in line with our other products”.

Wetherspoon’s pubs in the UK will now serve Heineken, Fosters, Kronenbourg 1664, Strongbow, John Smith’s Extra Smooth and Amstel.

Last December the UK-based pub chain and Heineken Ireland fell out about supplies to The Forty Foot pub overlooking Dun Laoghaire Harbour following the launch of its first outlet here, The Three Tun Tavern in Blackrock, County Dublin. As a result, Wetherspoon delisted all Heineken products from its 926-pub chain in both the UK and Ireland so that The Forty Foot opened without Heineken or Foster’s lagers (or Guinness Stout or Carlsberg due to an earlier pricing disagreement with Diageo before opening The Three Tun Tavern).

The pub chain claims that its decision not to sell Guinness and other Diageo products including Budweiser, Smithwick’s and Carlsberg at its outlets here has not had a negative impact.

In the interim, kegs of English-based stout had been on sale at €2.50 a pint alongside a selection of Irish craft beers and Czech, American and English lagers on offer at €2.50 or €2.95. The company also slashed spirits prices so that it was selling a double vodka & tonic for €5.95 at its Forty Foot outlet which compares with a price nearer €10 for a single vodka & tonic in some Temple Bar pubs.

JD Wetherspoon aims to open a 100-room hotel together with a pub following its recent purchase of Camden Hall Hostel in Camden Upper/Lower Street, Dublin. The Group owns 31 hotels in the UK and has stated its intention to open around 30 outlets here over the next five years “in areas where Wetherspoon is not yet represented,” according to TP Wetherspoon’s Chairman Tim Martin.

Over €4 million is to be spent developing the Camden Street premises which is expected to create up to 75 new jobs.

At present the building is in a dilapidated state and houses a hostel for homeless people, a boxing gym and a garage across eight buildings all of which will remain on the site until development work begins on the project.

With planning permission for a 165-room hotel, Wetherspoon is applying for revised planning and licensing permission for the hotel and pub.

The company is also to open pubs in Swords and Blanchardstown in North County Dublin as well as in Cork City and it currently employs more than 34,000 staff in its UK and Irish outlets.


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