Discount pub chain JD Wetherspoon has announced ambitious new plans for Britain and Ireland over the next five years.
The British firm will open 200 new premises across the two islands by 2020, creating 15,000 jobs.
The £400million investment will see the total amount of pubs run by the firm rise to an impressive 1,131.
Wetherspoon targeted the Irish market for the first time this year, opening two premises in Co. Dublin – one in Blackrock and the other in Dun Laoghaire.
Earlier in December, the company was hit with controversy when it dropped Heineken products from its stock, following a row over the supply to its Dun Laoghaire premises.
Up until then, Heineken retailed at €2.95 per pint – substantially lower than the €5 average in the area.
The investment will come as welcome news to Irish shores, with 30 pubs already promised for the next two years.
“We are looking forward to opening the new pubs, many of which will be in areas where Wetherspoon is not yet represented,” said Tim Martin, chairman of the firm, of the move.
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