Wetherspoon

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JD Wetherspoon plc
legal form plc
ISIN GB0001638955
founding 1979
Seat Watford ( Hertfordshire ) United Kingdom
United KingdomUnited Kingdom 
management Tim Martin (Chairman)
John Hutson (CEO)
Number of employees 38 384 (2018)
sales £ 1.694 billion (2018)
Branch System catering
Website www.jdwetherspoon.com
Status: 2018

The Rochester Castle, Stoke Newington

Wetherspoon ( JD Wetherspoon plc , often also called Wetherspoons) is a British pub chain founded in 1979, which also includes a number of hotels. The company, based in Watford, Hertfordshire, is listed on the London Stock Exchange under the symbol JDW .

history

Tim Martin took over a pub on Colney Hatch Lane in North London in 1979 and renamed it Wetherspoon's . Tim Martin got around with his parents in his youth, attending 11 schools in Northern Ireland and New Zealand . The name "Wetherspoon" was inspired by a teacher who couldn't get his class under control.

In 1992 the company went public. Tim Martin still holds almost 32% of the shares (as of 2018).

In 1996, the first pubs outside England opened in Wales ( Newport ) and Scotland ( Glasgow ), with Northern Ireland following in 2000.

From 2002, breakfast will also be offered in all 600 pubs that have since become part of Wetherspoon . In 2014 the company expands to Ireland .

Today the chain includes 883 pubs (as of 2018) and 54 hotels (as of 2019).

Tim Martin has always fought vehemently against the introduction of the euro . He put up “ save the pound ” posters in his pubs . In 2016 he actively supported the “ Vote Leave ” campaign in the Brexit referendum . In 2018 Martin announced that he would be removing German types of beer and sparkling wine from the range.

Products

According to its own information, Wetherspoon is the only large pub chain operator in the British Isles with all-day dining including breakfast. Various drinks and dishes are offered throughout the day.

Order process

In the early days of the chain's pubs, it was customary to order and pay for drinks and food directly at the counter. The drinks could be taken directly, the food was delivered to the table whose number was given when ordering.

In mid-2017, the company introduced a smartphone-based ordering system (iOS, Android). The customer installs an app with which the order can be conveniently carried out after entering the table number. The payment process is integrated into the application and can be done via credit card or PayPal.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d ANNUAL REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2018. (PDF) JD Whetherspoons plc, September 13, 2018, accessed on May 24, 2019 .
  2. Refurb for Tim Martin's first outlet. Morning Advertiser, September 1, 2005, accessed July 12, 2016 .
  3. ^ Nigel Popham: The real pub landlord. The Guardian , March 3, 2002, accessed July 12, 2016 .
  4. a b Our History. In: company website. Wetherspoon, 2015, accessed July 12, 2016 .
  5. About Our Hotels. In: company website. Wetherspoon, accessed May 24, 2019 .
  6. Andrew Clark: Single minded: yes. Single currency: no way. The Guardian, January 5, 2002, accessed July 12, 2016 .
  7. 250 business leaders back Vote Leave, as new poll shows EU stops entrepreneurs creating jobs. (No longer available online.) Vote Leave, 2016, archived from the original on March 29, 2016 ; accessed on July 12, 2016 .
  8. Private war against the EU: Briton throws German beer out of 900 pubs - Economic News. In: Focus Online . June 14, 2018, accessed October 14, 2018 .
  9. Wetherspoon toasts record sales. BBC News , September 11, 2009, accessed July 12, 2016 .
  10. ^ Wetherspoons may have just changed pubs forever. March 10, 2017, accessed July 28, 2019 .