JD WETHERSPOON has confirmed that one of its pubs in Glasgow will cease trading next month.
The Sir John Stirling Maxwell on Kilmarnock Road in Shawlands will soon cease trading, with staff being offered jobs in other pubs.
While pub bosses are unable to confirm a closing date, they have revealed that the premises will stop trading after March 26. The news comes after locals reported seeing signs at the pub informing of a closure soon.
The chain, which operates roughly 800 pubs around the UK and Ireland, previously announced that they would be putting 32 of their pubs on the market, saying it was a “commercial decision”.
Since that September announcement, multiple pubs have been confirmed to close permanently, including one in Wick and one in Shawlands.
READ MORE: Wetherspoon owner Tim Martin denies facing shortage of EU workers after Brexit
The chain said that its sales at the end of 2022 were far higher than the previous year, after a particularly strong Christmas, but still lagging slightly behind pre-pandemic levels.
Their like-for-like sales surged by nearly 18% over the last three months of 2022, compared with the same period in 2021.
The group’s chair Tim Martin, a strong supporter of Brexit, divided the public and his own staff over his stance of Covid measures, furlough pay, and immigration.
When announcing the 11 pub closures earlier in the month, Martin said he feels the biggest threat to the hospitality industry is that pubs and restaurants are taxed unfairly, while supermarkets pay no VAT on food sales.
READ MORE: We must remember how firms like Wetherspoons acted through Covid
He said: “Supermarkets pay zero VAT in respect of food sales, whereas pubs and restaurants pay 20%. This tax benefit allows supermarkets to subsidise the selling price of beer.
“We estimate that supermarkets have taken about half of the pub industry’s beer volumes since Wetherspoon started trading in 1979, a process that has likely accelerated following the pandemic.
“Pub industry directors have, in general, failed to campaign for tax equality, which is an important principle of taxation.”
He added that the industry will “inevitably shrink” relative to supermarkets if it does not campaign strongly for tax equality.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel