Pub chain to create 1,200 new jobs

12 April 2012

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon is planning to open 30 new pubs and create 1,200 jobs next year.

The expansion - part of investment in its estate worth £60 million - comes as the group prepares for the introduction of a smoking ban in England and Wales.

Chief executive John Hutson said he hoped that the smoking ban, which is already in place at a number of Wetherspoon sites, would result in more people visiting pubs in the long-term.

Mr Hutson added: "Our non-smoking pubs have proven very popular and this has given us the impetus to open more pubs in 2007."

Wetherspoon opened 12 new outlets in 2006, but will invest more than £35 million in 30 sites next year, including at Sheffield, Bishop Auckland, St Austell, Hertford and Devizes, Wiltshire. It currently has 662 pubs.

In addition, the company plans to invest a further £25 million on its existing outlets, including the creation of outside smoking areas.

Wetherspoon has slowed its annual opening programme in recent years while it assessed the likely impact of the smoking ban.

Around 100 sites are already smoke-free, including a mixture of new and converted outlets in England and Wales, as well as 39 pubs in Scotland following the introduction of regulations there last spring.

Wetherspoon said in November that quarterly like-for-like sales were up 5.2% in Scotland, although the biggest test for sales figures will come this winter as smokers will be forced to light up outside.

Most of the jobs announced on Thursday will be at the new pubs, which are likely to employ 20 full-time staff and 10 part-time workers.

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