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A new Wetherspoons will open in Waterford. Shutterstock/Claudio Divizia

New Wetherspoons for Waterford as company announces £200 million investment in UK and Ireland

The company will also be investing in Dublin.

WETHERSPOONS WILL INVEST more than £200 million in pubs and hotels over the next four years, creating around 10,000 jobs, the company has announced.

Part of the investment will go to Dublin and Waterford, while new pubs will open in the UK and existing pubs will be enlarged.

Most of the investment will be channelled into developments in small and medium-sized towns, but will also include larger towns and cities.

A new pub will open in Waterford, while the company said there would be new investment in Dublin alongside Edinburgh, Glasgow, Birmingham, Leeds and Galway.

shutterstock_1491018581 There is a Wetherspoons in Dun Laoghaire. Shutterstock / noel bennett Shutterstock / noel bennett / noel bennett

Wetherspoons founder and chairman Tim Martin said: “We are looking forward to opening many more new pubs as well as investing in existing pubs over the next four years.”

“We are especially pleased that a large proportion of the investment will be in smaller towns and cities which have seen a decline in investment in recent years,” he said. 

Wetherspoons operates 875 pubs and 58 hotels across the UK and Ireland and employs 44,000 staff.

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    Mute tom houlihan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:47 AM

    Other pubs will close when Spoons open making staff redundant . Spoons will not create 10k jobs . They will just replace the ones lost . Awful pubs with little or no character . Support local not Brexit funding Tim

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    Mute Dermot Foley
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:57 AM

    @tom houlihan: any lotto numbers there?

    32
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    Mute Reuben Gray
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:42 PM

    @tom houlihan: no they won’t. Spoons is a stopover for most, not a destination. There’s no craic in a Spoons. No music, no TV.
    I enjoy going to them for the random cask ale but only ever for one or two before moving on.

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    Mute Jason Campbell
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:11 PM

    @Reuben Gray: wrong in Ireland. they have tvs, they even show sky sports in ireland….

    1
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    Mute Irish Names
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:31 AM

    They might not be everyone’s cup of tea but they bring competition – if you want to charge higher prices then differentiate with better food, service, music or sport.

    185
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    Mute james burke
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:42 AM

    Boycott Wetherspoons

    143
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    Mute TW
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:45 AM

    Fun fact: Wetherspoons don’t play background music so they don’t have to pay royalties

    88
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    Mute Stephen Devlin
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    Dec 10th 2019, 3:25 PM

    @TW: Same as Lidl / Aldi

    8
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    Mute Kelvin Collins
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:06 PM

    @TW: I own a small pub in the suburbs of Belfast. I have to pay £3k a year for the privilege of playing background music. If I could get away with not paying it I would too.

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    Mute Paul O'Sullivan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:06 AM

    The McDonalds of the pub industry.

    71
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    Mute Kenneth Hayden
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:09 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan:
    Who doesn’t like McDonald’s from time to time.?

    101
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    Mute Keith ☘️
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:12 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: Lidl or Aldi but without the screwdriver sets

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    Mute Dnom
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:25 AM

    @Paul O’Sullivan: That’s an awful thing thin to say about McDonalds

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    Mute Barry Teehan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:30 AM

    I was head barman for them in 1988 in London . They had just 17 pubs then , and now they have thousands. 2 pounds 56 pence an hour and the manager and his wife were on 57 pounds a week ( between them ) . I wonder what they are paying now. The comment above about comparing them to Mcdonalds is spot on.

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    Mute Mark O'Carroll
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:35 AM

    @Barry Teehan: How much was accommodation back then Barry ? Its tough going in Britain for many people

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    Mute Conor Murphy
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    Feb 28th 2020, 1:36 AM

    @Barry Teehan: seriously, 1988? Come to Waterford, Ireland in 2019/2020 (only because it’s an old article) and see what the city centre is like. This investment will only be positive to the city centre, and anyone afraid of competition shouldn’t be in business because there is little to no monopoly in the economy these days

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    Mute Dom Layzell
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:23 AM

    More Pubs closing coming up soon!

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    Mute Thomas Meaney
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:37 AM

    @Dom Layzell: if your not willing to join the party get off the dancefloor. Competition = value for your buck.

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    Mute Paul Power
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:51 AM

    @Thomas Meaney: tell that to the farmers.

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    Mute Dom Layzell
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:04 AM

    @Thomas Meaney: Thomas, I never said if I was for or against Spoons coming to the stage, I’m merely pointing out the fact that smaller pubs won’t be able to compete! And as a consequence you know the rest yourself?

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    Mute Conor Kennelly
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:43 AM

    @Thomas Meaney: yes, but smaller pubs can’t afford to compete with Witherspoon’s so soon there won’t be any competition who can then charge whatever price they want.

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    Mute Aidan
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    Dec 10th 2019, 1:49 PM

    @Dom Layzell: smaller pubs in city centres already can’t compete. They won’t be putting pubs in small towns.

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    Mute Kipper O Keeffe
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:35 AM

    The one in Waterford is going on years
    Property was bought about 3 years ago
    And still not started

    33
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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:49 AM

    @Kipper O Keeffe: Wheres it to be located in Waterford?

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    Mute Marcas Ó Callanáin
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:02 AM

    @Paul Murphy: Broad Street

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    Mute Coco86
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    Dec 10th 2019, 10:12 AM

    @Kipper O Keeffe: That’s Waterford for ya boi

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    Mute Paul Murphy
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:48 AM

    @Marcas Ó Callanáin: Where the Olde Stand / The Stand used to be on the corner?

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    Mute Caroline Otoole
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:39 PM

    @Paul Murphy: No, a double frontage building incorporating the old Ptsb in Arundel square and the Evans shop in Broad St.

    https://waterford-news.ie/2019/09/10/wetherspoons-confirm-november-start/

    Not my cup of tea, when traveling in the UK or complaint had an account with Weatherspoons, I have eating there. But time will tell.

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    Mute Kipper O Keeffe
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    Dec 10th 2019, 1:43 PM

    @Paul Murphy: old TSB Arundel square going through to board st

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    Mute Irish big fellow
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:32 AM

    This publican hates the EU and all it stands for but still likes to make a few shillings from one of its members states.

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    Mute Dnom
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:26 AM

    A complete dump of an operation. Give me quality every time

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    Mute mot leave
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    Dec 10th 2019, 11:09 AM

    Jeez Kipper, we heard you the first time

    12
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    Mute Kipper O Keeffe
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:35 AM

    The one in Waterford is going on years
    Property was bought about 3 years ago
    And still not started

    8
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    Mute Dave Hammond
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    Dec 10th 2019, 9:48 PM

    @Kipper O Keeffe: How long has the one in Waterford been going on ?

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    Mute Olive Whyte
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    Dec 10th 2019, 2:06 PM

    They destroyed the 40ft. That is such a great location and used to be a great pub. Wouldn’t go near it now. No atmosphere and bright lights.

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    Mute Con Veron
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    Dec 10th 2019, 12:43 PM

    Great. Another Chain Pub

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    Mute John Walsh
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    Dec 11th 2019, 5:17 PM

    I wouldn’t be a big fan ,but if they can do €3 pints and yet the entire monopoly are more or less the same price of €4.50+.
    Something’s wrong and it maybe we need the no frills competition , it worked with air fares & supermarkets.
    Condition is good for the consumer

    1
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