All JD Wetherspoon articles
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OpinionVisitor levies may work in cities. The real test lies elsewhere
Jet-setting city-break visitors to English cities are unlikely to be put off by a tourist tax, with overnight levies already commonplace acorss Europe. The greater concern is for more price sensitive family staycations to coastal, rural and seasonal destinations which are already under pressure
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NewsHospitality leaders condemn tourist tax as latest blow to a sector at breaking point
Communities secretary Angela Rayner announced local and regional leaders will be able to introduce a percentage-based charge on overnight stays in hotels, holiday lets and B&Bs, with Labour mayors indicating they are likely to levy around 5%
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NewsUK cinemas mull Meta glasses ban
Many of the UK’s chains could introduce policies to prohibit and/or restrict the wearing of camera-enabled smart glasses, according to the industry’s trade body
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NewsWetherspoon bans music and loud phone calls
Sir Tim Martin said the ban was being put in place to avoid customers being driven ’chicken jalfrezi’ by the noise of video calls and streaming without headphones
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OpinionSir Rocco, Sir Tim, Luke Johnson and me
In his final column of a 20-year, c250-edition contribution to MCA, Dominic Walsh reflects on the impact of Covid on the hospitality sector, lunches with Sir Rocce Forte, and hobnobbing with Rory McIlroy at Gleneagles
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Analysis & InsightWetherspoon’s pricing strategy ‘could be better managed’
The value-led pub company has grown turnover substantially in recent years but seen little profit growth. Yet despite criticism over its prices being too cheap, analysts tell MCA Wetherspoon remains well run with a strong brand and clear strategy
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NewsMeta glasses risk ‘invading customer privacy’
Jeremy King and Sir Tim Martin have come out against Meta’s ‘spy glasses’ being worn in their venues
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NewsQuestions raised over Wetherspoons’ discounting strategy
The pub company raised prices by half as much as competitors over the previous six years, according to Peel Hunt, leading to a squeeze in profits
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Weekend PressHow much does Wetherspoons make from its gambling machines?
A profit warning this week from JD Wetherspoon brought to mind a question that’s been bothering us for a while: does the UK’s best-known pub landlord make more on its gambling machines than it does on drinks or food? The FT investigates
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Analysis & InsightRates cut welcomed, but support ‘shouldn’t stop at pubs’
Many of the larger pub groups have voiced their support for the measure, but others have been more vocal in their frustration that the measure doesn’t go far enough and are calling on the government not to overlook the struggles of restaurants and hotels, and the bigger problem of VAT
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NewsWetherspoon advises to hit on profits
Chairman Tim Martin warned full year profits are likely to be below market expectations, with marginally lower sales than anticipated in the final quarter
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NewsWetherspoons hoping for World Cup boost to offset consumer pressure
Wetherspoons is expected to report further sales growth when it provides a fourth quarter trading update on Wednesday, The Standard reports
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NewsOpenings of the week
MCA rounds up the week’s biggest openings stories, featuring a new quintet of venues in Covent Garden, new locations from AZ Collective and Creative Restaurant Group, and new markets for Sticks’n’Sushi and Vagabond Wines
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NewsBurnham adviser backs plans for National Food Service
The recommendations call for the creation of approximately 9,500 government-backed Community Food Centres that would offer nutritious meals free at the point of use
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Weekend PressTim Martin: ‘Labour is taking Britain back to the 1970s’
The Wetherspoon founder speaks to The Telegraph about Brexit dividends, the secret to his success, and why government policies are destroying business
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Weekend PressCan Starmer’s late-night World Cup openings help Britain’s struggling pubs?
While venues could stay open until 2am, rising costs remain a far bigger concern for many landlords, reports The Guardian
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NewsHaven CEO keen to roll out Wetherspoon partnership across estate
Simon Palethorpe says the tie-up has been a storming success for the caravan park operator with one million Wetherspoons meals having been sold in the two years since its launch
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Weekend PressReeves’s tax cut on children’s meals a political ‘soundbite’, say restaurateurs
The Chancellor’s measure to help families save money during summer holidays ‘won’t make any difference’ to the industry, operators have told The Guardian
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NewsWetherspoon reveals more details of Shaftesbury Avenue opening
The pubco is set to open Piccadilly Hall - one of its largest venues in central London - following a multimillion-pound investment in partnership with Criterion Capital
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NewsOpenings of the week
MCA rounds up the week’s biggest openings stories, featuring new venues from Gordon Ramsay, Jason Atherton, JUNK Burger, HOP Vietnamese, and more