Wetherspoons reveals major plans to open franchise pubs abroad

WETHERSPOONS is plotting to unfastened its cut-price pubs abroad, The Sun tin exclusively reveal.

Boss Sir Tim Martin said the concatenation is considering franchises overseas aft a drawstring of palmy partnerships successful the UK.

It means Brits overseas tin soon look guardant to Spoons successful the sunshine.

Sir Tim told The Sun: “We are looking astatine it.

"There are astir apt 100 to 200 franchise partnerships successful the UK.

"Now it’s a question of going overseas and it’s a possibility.”

He agreed opening successful Brits’ favourite vacation spots, specified arsenic Alicante, Benidorm and Majorca, would marque sense, but it could people wintertime prima destinations too.

He said a determination connected the archetypal determination was astir apt six months away.

It comes aft Wetherspoons precocious announced plans for four much pubs on Haven vacation parks aft a palmy franchise astatine the Primrose Valley site, Yorks.

Wetherspoons besides has a franchise with Hull and Newcastle Universities for pupil national bars.

The concatenation has 796 pubs crossed the UK and Ireland, but this would beryllium its archetypal overseas foray.

It precocious emerged Wetherspoons’ estimation is truthful good known that a replica pub, Witherspoons, had been opened successful Pattaya, Thailand, serving English breakfasts and inexpensive pints.

Wetherspoons president and laminitis Sir Tim has spoken of his content the concatenation could deed 1,000 pubs crossed the UK.

There are plans to unfastened 9 much this year, including astatine London Bridge Station, Fulham Broadway Underground, Manchester Airport and Beaconsfield, Wetherby and Bath.

It comes arsenic the concatenation was deed with £60million successful other staffing costs from the Budget.

Sir Tim, left, railed against the increases, which helium said had a “significantly bigger interaction connected pub and edifice companies than supermarkets”.

He has agelong campaigned against the antithetic VAT attraction betwixt pubs and supermarkets, which means stores tin merchantability overmuch cheaper nutrient and drink.

Supermarkets wage nary VAT connected nutrient sales, but pubs wage 20 per cent.

Sir Tim said: “I deliberation if the Government wants pubs to past and values them arsenic an institution, they volition person to [change VAT].

“It is simply a wide rule of taxation that taxes should beryllium just and equitable.

"The VAT distortions that beryllium contiguous volition inevitably make much supermarkets and little pubs.

“Wetherspoon truthful calls upon Sir Keir Starmer to redress this imbalance.”

Wetherspoons said its like-for-like income were 5.1 per cent higher than the aforesaid play past year, portion implicit the Christmas play they roseate by 6.1 per cent.

REVOLUTION HIT

SHARES successful the proprietor of Revolution Bars tumbled by astir a 3rd yesterday aft the cocktail concatenation deed retired astatine the Budget’s outgo burdens.

Boss Rob Pitcher said changes to National Insurance thresholds would beryllium “very damaging”.

He added that the measures “offer nary wide pathway for economical growth”.

Revolution said the changes volition outgo the radical £4million.

Pitcher’s comments came arsenic Revel Group emerges from a restructuring program which it said created “uncertainty” astir the business.

JANUARY JITTERS

CONFIDENCE successful the system has slumped successful households and boardrooms, a canvass says.

Consumers’ jitters implicit their ain finances and the wider system has sent assurance to a caller low, according to a British Retail Consortium survey.

It suggests retailers volition look the January blues arsenic Brits chopped backmost spending.

Meanwhile much than fractional of concern leaders expect risks to their firms to summation connected past year, according to a canvass of 500 by Grayline.

Tech and regulatory changes were considered the apical threats.

EASYJET’S AIRPORTS WARNING

EASYJET’S brag has backed Heathrow enlargement plans — but has called for “joined-up” reasoning arsenic passengers look higher taxes.

Kenton Jarvis, who took implicit the no-frills hose astatine the commencement of this year, said his steadfast could commencement flying from Heathrow if different runway was added.

Mr Jarvis said this would springiness customers “more prime and affordable fares”.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said this week she would backmost a 3rd Heathrow runway — and enactment Gatwick and Luton enlargement proposals aboriginal this period — arsenic portion of her hopeless ngo for growth.

But Mr Jarvis highlighted the mooted determination being made pursuing the £2 Air Passenger Duty emergence for abbreviated haul trips which came successful past year.

He said: “It’s important the Government is well-coordinated … due to the fact that it is opening up capableness astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic putting up costs.”

BLOW FOR WIND PLAN

WIND powerfulness accounted for conscionable 1 per cent of Britain’s vigor yesterday arsenic the upwind turned gloomy, acold and still.

Gas provided 60 per cent of the Grid’s power, with 12.5 per cent imported from Europe.

The figures item the immense situation to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband’s ambitions for the UK to beryllium 95 per cent powered by cleanable vigor by 2030.

Renewables accounted for six per cent of powerfulness yesterday, portion atomic and biomass contributed 18 per cent.