Wetherspoon to temporarily hold off on further expansion

By James McAllister

- Last updated on GMT

Wetherspoon to temporarily hold off on further expansion confirms July 4 reopening Coronavirus

Related tags Jd wetherspoon Pub Coronavirus

JD Wetherspoon has said it does not currently intend to start any new pub development projects in the next 12 months.

The pub giant, which has an 875-strong estate, says it will be reopening all sites in England on 4 July, following Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement​ yesterday (23 June) regarding the further easing of the Coronavirus lockdown.

It adds that, following consultation with its employees, the company has created a 'Covid-19 secure' operating plan, which sets out how the company intends to safely operate pubs when they reopen.

Last month Wetherspoon unveiled an £11m masterplan​ featuring a raft of safety measures to help protect employees and customers.

A recent staff survey, which received 36,004 (82%) responses from employees, found the majority plan to return to work.

Of those who responded, 35,616 said they intend to return to work immediately.

A further 4,090 will not able to return straight away due to maternity leave, caring responsibilities, or health issues; while 388 said they do not intend to return to work, and have either resigned, or intend to resign.

Wetherspoon adds that, following a share placing in April 2020 from which the company raised a total of approximately £141m before fees, a group of the company’s lending banks has approved a further £48.3m loan through the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption scheme (CLBILS).

It says that while it does not currently intend to start any new pub development projects in the next year, a small number of projects that were on site when pubs closed will be completed in due course.

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