Pubs group to ban smoking
PUBS operator JD Wetherspoon looks set to become the first chain to ban smoking completely in all its outlets at least two years ahead of a Government-imposed restriction.
The company said today that 60 of its pubs will be non-smoking by May this year, some 10% of the total. The remainder will be smoke free by May 2006, two years before the Government ban comes into effect.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon admitted that there was a risk customers could go elsewhere if they wanted to have a cigarette with their pint, but described it as a 'calculated risk'. Wetherspoon has had non-smoking areas in all its 650 pubs for the past 12 years.
'Will we lose business? We don't think so. I wouldn't say it's a major risk. Nowadays there are far more non-smokers than smokers and even occasional smokers tell us they'd prefer to be in a less smoky environment.
'The Government's own ban is chaotic and there are too many ways around it. They've said the smoking ban will apply but you can be exempted if you don't serve food. Now there's a debate about what type of food is or is not covered. We would rather be clear and upfront about it. We're telling our customers where we are with regards to smoking.' Shares in the company fell 9¾p - nearly 4% - to 250¼p in early trading.
The Government has said that smoking will still be permitted in pubs that sell only packaged food such as nuts and crisps rather than freshly made items and prepared meals. The get-out clause for pub operators has been described as 'unworkable' by anti-smoking campaigners.
The British Medical Association last year expressed disappointment that the Government had not opted for a total ban on smoking in enclosed places.
Wetherspoon's announcement puts the group at the forefront of a major change in the licensed trade. The company has frequently set itself apart from its competition. Last week finance director Jim Clarke told This is Money that the company would not be joining any 24 hour opening bandwagon, describing all-day opening as something for which there was insufficient demand.
