Latest news with #Wetherspoon's
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Wetherspoon's boosted by April sunshine as investment grows
JD Wetherspoon expects a 'reasonable' outcome for the year after unseasonably warm weather helped the pub group offset higher costs at the start of the year. The group told investors on Wednesday like-for-like sales were up 5.6 per cent over the 13 weeks to 27 April, though total sales were up by 5 per cent reflecting a 'small number' of pub disposals over the period. Wetherspoon's has sold seven pubs since the star of the year, but opened two, leaving it with 795 venues in total. Having previously revealed a target of 1,000, Wetherspoon's said it intends to open 'four or five' new pubs this financial year and 'approximately 10' in 2026. But the group also spent £17million on seven freehold reversions, whereby Wetherspoon's buys pubs in which it was previously the tenant. An additional seven pubs now operate under a franchise agreement, four of which opened during the last quarter, all operated by Haven Holiday Parks. Chairman Tim Martin also noted fresh investment in new staff facilities across 520 pubs, with 49 completed in the current year, including staff rooms and changing rooms. The group has lined up staff facility investment for approximately 270 more of its pubs in the future at a cost of around £100,000 per venue. Martin also highlighted the group's growing product range, with the arrival of Jaipur traditional ale, Kronenbourg 1664 Biere and Poretti all proving popular additions to the bar. As a result of this investment, Wetherspoon's expects to end its financial year with debt of £720million to £740million, with headroom of approximately £200million. Martin added: 'Bearing in mind that recent trading has been helped by favourable weather, the company anticipates a reasonable outcome for the financial year, notwithstanding previously reported wage and tax increases of approximately £1.2million per week.' JD Wetherspoon shares were down 0.5 per cent at 684.5p in early trading. They have added 12 per cent since the beginning of the year. Robinhood UK lead analyst Dan Lane said: 'Sales are in a good place and there is a clear focus on getting the pub count up but also making sure these are quality sites that the UK public wants to go to. 'Slowly does it though, as the property footprint still sits slightly below the 800 mark, against the 1,000 the group has previously targeted.' Lane added that the market has so far largely 'shrugged off' Wetherspoon's debt pile, while the group's near immunity from US tariff pressures 'has kept its interest despite inflationary pressures'. He said: 'No news of price hikes today and Martin will be hoping to weather any further uptick in inflation before he's forced to erode the chain's main selling point with a lift to the price of a pint. 'If the Bank of England drops interest rates tomorrow, we might see even more attention paid to businesses like this, naturally shielded from tariff headlines and already reinvesting in themselves for the long term.'
Wales Online
29-04-2025
- Wales Online
Moment football fan kicks elderly man to head in 'sea of thugs'
Moment football fan kicks elderly man to head in 'sea of thugs' The chaotic scenes included kicking, punching and spitting from a mass of hooligans Police have released footage of a fierce brawl between more than 50 football hooligans in Newport city centre. Last week one Newport County fan was jailed over the violent disorder while two others narrowly avoided prison. A fight between Newport and Eastleigh supporters broke out on the evening of January 6, 2024, following a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round. CCTV shows one Newport fan, Samuel Grant, kicking an elderly man to the head as well as unhinged violence from hooligans including Joseph Friel and Wayne Thomas. Cardiff Crown Court heard the fracas began at 6.25pm outside the Wetherspoon pub in Cambrian Road. The judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, said the brawlers were "groups I might loosely describe as supporters of both clubs but whose values have nothing to do with the sportsmanship and respect inherent in football". "Numerous individuals were punching, kicking, stamping, putting each other in headlocks, and throwing objects at each other," said Recorder Hammond. "Two rival groups broke off and renewed the violence in waves of attacks on each other. In one particularly troubling part of the footage, an elderly man walking slowly with the assistance of a younger woman was targeted, and repeatedly punched." Samuel Grant, 24, aimed a forceful punch at the face of the elderly man, who fell to the ground. "In a particularly cowardly act you, Grant, then kicked him as he lay on the floor, either to his upper torso or his face," said the judge. Prosecutor Anisha Rai said the disorder started when then-17-year-old Exiles fan, Wayne Thomas, left the County supporters pub Bar Amber and walked past Wetherspoon's, where he goaded Eastleigh fans who were drinking outside. Thomas initiated the fight by throwing the first punch. He fled the scene after the initial scuffle but set off a "chain reaction" of violence, the court heard. Article continues below Left to right: Samuel Grant, Joseph Friel and Wayne Thomas (Image: Gwent Police / Conor Gogarty ) Newport fans ran into Bar Amber to get reinforcements, prompting a flood of supporters to join the melee outside Wetherspoon's. One of those was Grant, who swung an arm at someone who was backing away. He punched another man directly to the face, before targeting the elderly victim whom he kicked to the head. Joseph Friel, a 22-year-old among the crowd to emerge from Bar Amber, could be seen hitting one Eastleigh fan to the face and then punching another several times. When police arrived, most brawlers sprinted off but Friel lingered, spitting at a man who was lying on the ground. Thomas and Friel, both from Pontypool, and Grant, from Newport, all admitted violent disorder. Hilary Roberts, for Thomas, said his 18-year-old client had no previous convictions and had experienced "a lot of stress" because of the delay in the case coming to court. "A raft of people have spoken well of him," said Mr Roberts. "He is a decent young man. He recognises how wrong he was, and he says, 'If I was sober I would have walked away.' He is very careful of how much he drinks now." Will Bebb, for Grant, acknowledged his client already had a conviction for football-related violence, an affray from April 2022, but said he had gained new insights from the community order and unpaid work he recently completed for that offence. "There is a real development in his psyche," said Mr Bebb, who also pointed to his recent hiring as a door-to-door salesman. "He has overcome his substance issues and he has had a diagnosis of epilepsy, which is now well-managed." Emma Harris, for Friel, said: "At the age of 18 he suffered an incident related to football which has clearly given him a very different perception of risk. A psychiatric assessment has indicated he is someone who has a very different perception of any harm that may be caused to him." She added that he had no previous convictions and had found the court case "a very difficult environment" because of his mental health issues. Grant cried as he was imprisoned by Recorder Hammond, who said he had been "continually in the centre of the fight" and had "shamefully" punched and kicked an obviously vulnerable elderly man. The judge imposed a 28-month jail term on Grant. Recorder Hammond noted that an expert had concluded Friel "probably" had autism and may have bipolar disorder. He also took into account the probation service's assessment of Friel as posing a low risk of harm. The judge imposed a 20-month prison term on Friel, suspended for two years. He must complete 12 mental health treatment sessions and 10 days of rehabilitation activity, and pay a £300 fine and £150 in prosecution costs. The judge said Thomas was "the person who started this whole incident" but also acknowledged his young age and his decision to leave the scene instead of continuing to fight. He imposed 18 months in a young offender institution suspended for 24 months, 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation activity and £150 in prosecution costs All three defendants were handed five-year football banning orders. In an earlier court hearing, a 16-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to violent disorder received a six-month referral order to the Newport Youth Offender panel. The judge praised the brave actions of PC Jade Butterworth, the first uniformed police officer on the scene. He said she displayed "extraordinary personal courage" to protect the elderly victim in "a sea of dark-clad thugs". A Newport County spokesperson said: 'We welcome today's decision by the court. There is no place for this abhorrent behaviour and we will continue to work closely with Gwent Police to help identify any incidents of this nature. 'The club will maintain its zero-tolerance approach to such incidents, whether that's at Rodney Parade, the city centre or for away fixtures, and the imposition of banning orders, as a minimum, for anyone found guilty of such behaviour. Article continues below 'Newport County has worked tirelessly to create a reputation as a family-friendly football club and it is an image we will do everything in our powers to maintain.'
The Guardian
26-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
In Kent, the ‘silent Reform voter' may give Nigel Farage his greatest victory
Nigel Farage grinned as he clutched an inflatable blue lilo at a seaside shop in Ramsgate just hours after holding a press conference about immigration. 'It's Reform colours, that's what it is,' he joked to the throng of press photographers, possibly tickled by its resemblance to the migrant dinghies that wash up on the nearby beaches. Dressed in a blue suit and £300 Ray-Ban Meta sunglasses with built-in cameras, Farage had embarked on a busy day of campaigning across three towns in Kent, one week out from England's local elections. It was just after 2pm and the sun was shining over Ramsgate where Farage, 61, began his whistle-stop tour by eating cockles and talking to scrap metalworkers. But his walk to the Royal Victoria Pavilion, the largest Wetherspoon's pub in the country, was interrupted several times by people wanting selfies and asking questions. One man, a former newspaper journalist, grilled the politician about his assertion that Reform UK could ultimately usurp the Conservatives. Farage told the man: 'Our voters loathe the Conservative party. [Making a deal with them] is the last thing they'd ever want me to do. And frankly, if I do a deal with someone, I shake their hand, I look them in the eye and I trust them. I don't trust them.' As Farage attempted to move on, drinkers outside the Queen's Head pub cheered. An older man in a hi-vis jacket patted him on the arm and said: 'You've got my vote.' Farage is a man who likes an audience and Ramsgate is certainly a place where he wouldn't expect to get a rough ride. But, to the horror of the Conservative party, and many in Labour too, the signs are that Reform UK is making a genuine impact across the country. Keir Starmer's government, still less than a year into a five-year term, is unpopular. The Tories under Kemi Badenoch appear still in shock from last year's general election implosion. Ever the opportunist, Farage has seen the gap and charged into it. And next week could be quite a moment for him. Earlier this week, Robert Hayward, a pollster and Conservative peer, said he believed Farage would win up to 450 seats while the Conservatives would lose up to 525 in the local elections. Reform was also said to be on course to win two mayoral contests, according to a YouGov poll released on Friday. This despite, or perhaps because of, his willingness to cause offence and peddle populist ideas. On Thursday, his assertion that the UK is 'massively overdiagnosing those with mental health illness problems' was predictably provocative. The National Autistic Society said his remarks were 'incorrect, wrong, fake news'. He has described net zero as 'lunacy' and vowed to scrap carbon targets entirely. So far, there is little sign of any lasting damage to his brand from his relationship with Donald Trump, or the fact he has seemed sympathetic to Vladimir Putin. One of his own MPs, Rupert Lowe, even condemned him for being the messianic leader of a protest party. None of this appeared to worry the voters at the Wetherspoon's pub in Ramsgate, where he ordered a pint of Doom Bar. His burly security guards hovered nearby as there were more photo opportunities, this time with five male Reform candidates wearing rosettes. But before he could finish his pint, Farage was approached by a 57-year-old man who said he has struggled to find work since moving back to Ramsgate from Spain. He feared he was being discriminated against, he said. 'But I believe in what you're doing,' he told Farage. 'I would love to meet up with you some time and have a chat, if there's anything I can do.' Farage introduced the man to the party's local chair before heading upstairs to the balcony overlooking the harbour for an arranged interview with the Daily Mail. After finishing up, he had a cigarette in the sunshine while surrounded by the council candidates, including 75-year-old Trevor Shonk, a former Ramsgate mayor, and Ukip and Tory councillor who recently defected to Reform. In 2014, Shonk told the BBC's World at One programme that Britain had become a 'racist' country because Conservative and Labour governments had let in too many immigrants. Shonk, who campaigned for Farage when he stood in Thanet South, his seventh unsuccessful attempt to enter parliament, said door-to-door campaigning in recent weeks had gone so well that people had been chasing him down the streets, saying: 'Trevor, we're voting for you and Reform.' As Farage and his mostly male entourage prepared to leave the pub to drive to Sittingbourne, their final stop of the day, a group of young men at the New Belgium Bar opposite cheered and asked for selfies. 'He's a man of the people, he's not stuck up, he's more like a commoner like us,' one said of the privately educated MP for Clacton. 'He's definitely got the celebrity status.' The longtime Eurosceptic politician reportedly made a joke about the name of the drinking establishment, saying: 'Why are you drinking in the Belgian bar?' One drinker recognised Zia Yusuf, the Reform party chair, who was by Farage's side, but, the man said 'he just walked off because nobody was giving him any attention'. Similarly, inside the Wetherspoon's pub, one woman who seemingly had no idea who Yusuf was had reportedly asked if he could take a photo of her with Farage. Yusuf is said to have politely declined before walking off. After Farage departed, Karl Serveld, who manages Peter's Fish Factory, said the politician seemed to be the only person listening to local concerns about immigration. 'Not everybody would voice their opinion because we all know the racism card comes out. But it's not about race, it's about money being spent and we're not seeing any benefit of it,' he said. Kent county council has been run by the Conservatives since 1997 but an Electoral Calculus poll of 5,400 people predicted last month that Reform UK would take control. Serveld said that he hoped Reform would change Kent so 'the normal working man was looked after'. Earlier, at the Best Western hotel in Dover, about 20 miles (32km) away, Farage had held a press conference in which he announced Reform would be appointing a minister for deportations. Introduced on stage as Britain's next prime minister by Yusuf, Farage reeled off a bunch of statistics about immigration. 'We're in Dover because it was here in 2020, just as the pandemic was kicking in and lockdown was starting, that I began to go out from this port to film the migrant boats crossing,' he said. 'I said that, frankly, you might as well put up a sign on the white cliffs of Dover, [saying] 'everyone welcome'. And I predicted there would be an invasion, the word that got me in very big trouble, but have a look at the numbers that have come.' Farage claimed there had been a trend of Palestinians from Gaza making the crossing in recent weeks. 'Frankly, letting people in from war zones, young males of fighting age from war zones, when you don't know what their involvement in those areas might have been, is an incredibly dangerous thing to do,' he said. His words were echoed by one of the two would-be Kent councillors filming his address from the front row. 'It does feel like an invasion. And if they're coming from war zones, where are the women and children? They're all fighting age men and that's scary,' said Paul King, the chair of Reform's Dover and Deal branch and a candidate for Dover West. With a blue rosette pinned to his dark suit, the 56-year-old said he had been heartened by the local support after delivering thousands of leaflets in recent weeks. 'Virtually everybody I speak to is fully behind us. Not very many people want to be publicly supporting us, but privately they do, like a silent Reform voter.' King, who lives in a village outside Dover, blamed the silent majority on the public's fear of being labelled racist. But he said Farage's distancing of Tommy Robinson had worked in the party's favour: 'Because then we could actually explain that we're not far right, we're not racist. Our chairman is a Sri Lankan Muslim. We've got homosexual candidates. We've got people of colour. We're a meritocracy.' Pauline Bailey, the campaign manager of the Dover and Deal branch, said there had been an uplift in support since last year's general election when she was spat at and called names while leafleting. 'Now they're grabbing papers off me,' the 62-year-old claimed.
Wales Online
25-04-2025
- Wales Online
Football fans in 'abhorrent' mass brawl which saw elderly man punched to ground and kicked in head
Football fans in 'abhorrent' mass brawl which saw elderly man punched to ground and kicked in head Newport city centre descended into chaos after an FA cup clash. Two groups of football fans unleashed 'waves of attacks' on each other including a 'cowardly' vicious assault on an elderly man Left to right: Samuel Grant, Joseph Friel and Wayne Thomas (Image: Gwent Police / Conor Gogarty ) A Newport County football fan has been jailed after kicking an elderly man to the face in a fierce brawl involving more than 50 supporters. Two other Newport fans narrowly avoided prison over their roles in the fighting with Eastleigh supporters on January 6, 2024, following a 1-1 draw in the FA Cup third round, Cardiff Crown Court heard. The judge, Recorder Andrew Hammond, said the brawlers in Newport city centre were "groups I might loosely describe as supporters of both clubs but whose values have nothing to do with the sportsmanship and respect inherent in football". CCTV footage showed the fracas broke out at 6.25pm outside the Wetherspoon pub in Cambrian Road. "Numerous individuals were punching, kicking, stamping, putting each other in headlocks, and throwing objects at each other," said Recorder Hammond. "Two rival groups broke off and renewed the violence in waves of attacks on each other. In one particularly troubling part of the footage, an elderly man walking slowly with the assistance of a younger woman was targeted, and repeatedly punched." Don't miss a court report by signing up to our crime newsletter here Article continues below Samuel Grant, 24, aimed a forceful punch at the face of the elderly man, who fell to the ground. "In a particularly cowardly act you, Grant, then kicked him as he lay on the floor, either to his upper torso or his face," said the judge. Prosecutor Anisha Rai said the disorder started when then-17-year-old Exiles fan, Wayne Thomas, left the County supporters pub Bar Amber and walked past Wetherspoon's, where he goaded Eastleigh fans who were drinking outside. Thomas initiated the fight by throwing the first punch. He fled the scene after the initial scuffle but set off a "chain reaction" of violence, the court heard. Newport fans ran into Bar Amber to get reinforcements, prompting a flood of supporters to join the melee outside Wetherspoon's. One of those was Grant, who swung an arm at someone who was backing away. He punched another man directly to the face, before targeting the elderly victim whom he kicked to the head. Joseph Friel, a 22-year-old among the crowd to emerge from Bar Amber, could be seen hitting one Eastleigh fan to the face and then punching another several times. When police arrived, most brawlers sprinted off but Friel lingered, spitting at a man who was lying on the ground. Thomas and Friel, both from Pontypool, and Grant, from Newport, all admitted violent disorder. Hilary Roberts, for Thomas, said his 18-year-old client had no previous convictions and had experienced "a lot of stress" because of the delay in the case coming to court. "A raft of people have spoken well of him," said Mr Roberts. "He is a decent young man. He recognises how wrong he was, and he says, 'If I was sober I would have walked away.' He is very careful of how much he drinks now." Will Bebb, for Grant, acknowledged his client already had a conviction for football-related violence, an affray from April, 2022, but said he had gained new insights from the community order and unpaid work he recently completed for that offence. "There is a real development in his psyche," said Mr Bebb, who also pointed to his recent hiring as a door-to-door salesman. "He has overcome his substance issues and he has had a diagnosis of epilepsy, which is now well-managed." Emma Harris, for Friel, said: "At the age of 18 he suffered an incident related to football which has clearly given him a very different perception of risk. A psychiatric assessment has indicated he is someone who has a very different perception of any harm that may be caused to him." She added that he had no previous convictions and had found the court case "a very difficult environment" because of his mental health issues. Grant cried as he was imprisoned by Recorder Hammon, who said he had been "continually in the centre of the fight" and had "shamefully" punched and kicked an obviously vulnerable elderly man. The judge imposed a 28-month jail term on Grant. Recorder Hammond noted that an expert had concluded Friel "probably" had autism and may have bipolar disorder. He also took into account the probation service's assessment of Friel as posing a low risk of harm. The judge imposed a 20-month prison term on Friel, suspended for two years. He must complete 12 mental health treatment sessions and 10 days of rehabilitation activity, and pay a £300 fine and £150 in prosecution costs. The judge said Thomas was "the person who started this whole incident" but also acknowledged his young age and his decision to leave the scene instead of continuing to fight. He imposed 18 months in a young offender institution suspended for 24 months, 150 hours of unpaid work, 15 days of rehabilitation activity and £150 in prosecution costs All three defendants were handed five-year football banning orders. In an earlier court hearing, a 16-year-old boy who pleaded guilty to violent disorder received a six-month referral order to the Newport Youth Offender panel. The judge praised the brave actions of PC Jade Butterworth, the first uniformed police officer on the scene. He said she displayed "extraordinary personal courage" to protect the elderly victim in "a sea of dark-clad thugs". A Newport County spokesperson said: 'We welcome today's decision by the court. There is no place for this abhorrent behaviour and we will continue to work closely with Gwent Police to help identify any incidents of this nature. Article continues below 'The club will maintain its zero-tolerance approach to such incidents, whether that's at Rodney Parade, the city centre or for away fixtures, and the imposition of banning orders, as a minimum, for anyone found guilty of such behaviour. 'Newport County has worked tirelessly to create a reputation as a family-friendly football club and it is an image we will do everything in our powers to maintain.'
The Guardian
24-03-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Prospect of £5 pint leaves bitter taste for some pubgoers
'It makes sense to Rachel Reeves, I don't know if it makes sense to anyone else,' said a grumbling pub-goer on hearing the news that pints are expected to rise above the £5 mark for the first time in history next month. According to research by Frontier Economics commissioned by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA), the average price of a pint of beer is expected to reach £5.01 in April, a 21p rise. The increase is down to bigger overheads, including a rise in the national minimum wage and in national insurance. Discounts on business rates that hospitality businesses have been entitled to are also decreasing, from 70% to 40%. In the West Yorkshire market town of Otley, arguably the UK's most well known pub town, afternoon drinkers did not welcome the news. 'I think this summer it will get to the point where on a nice sunny day people will just sit in the garden because they can't afford to go to the pub,' said one man. He said though he had retired five years earlier, he had needed to go back to work as a delivery driver to keep up with the cost of living. 'Without a doubt, I can feel the cost of living crisis,' he said. 'You go to supermarkets and you just see everything going up.' At the Bowling Green, a large Wetherspoon's pub with a sunny yard at the front, some people felt the price rises would not affect them too much, because they bought the cheapest pint in the cheapest place they could. 'It is what it is. We go somewhere where it's cheap,' said Gary Swain drinking a Bud Light, costing £1.89. 'It's a nice pint. You get used to what you get used to.' He said he usually drinks in Wetherspoon's and in his local club in Harrogate. 'You'd always find somewhere to go,' said Swain, who works as a forklift driver at the Heineken brewery in Tadcaster, 20 miles east. 'I work so it doesn't bother me. If you can't afford it then don't go out.' That is something publicans fear will happen. Pubs, bars and clubs have been closing at startling rates, with the number of pubs falling below 39,000 for the first time in December 2024, according to the property data company Altus Group. Otley locals used to say the town had the most pubs per person of anywhere in the UK. They currently number 24 with a population of fewer than 15,000 people. It was the first place to have all of its pubs listed as assets of community value, which means they have greater protections against being closed down, and in recent months this has helped the community to take over one that would have otherwise closed. In many ways, the town is lucky. People travel from far and wide to come to the West Yorkshire town, which borders the Yorkshire Dales and is overlooked by moorland, for a pint in a traditional pub. Inside the Old Cock, an independent pub that has won awards from the Campaign for Real Ale, a fire roars and old men sup pints pulled by knowledgable bar staff. '[The breweries] have all put their prices up now,' said Lisa Choppen, the pub's manager. She said customers did not always understand that pubs and bars had already cut back wherever they could. 'They think a pint should just go up by 10p. We've been taking a big hit, the brewery is also taking a big hit. 'Our biggest cost is staffing. We tried to cut hours when we can but if you're too busy you can't send people home. And we all want to earn a good wage.' Business rates were also crippling pubs, she said. 'It's cheaper to drink at home. You can get a bottle of wine for the same price as a large glass. But people come here because it's social. You make friends here.' At the bar, many customers had views as they paid for their pints, some of which were already priced at £5.95, for a 6% beer from a local brewery. 'It feels like the government is driving people indoors,' said Wayne Sutcliffe, a punter who had travelled from Sheffield. 'That's how you end up with loneliness, seclusion, isolation.' The woman he was talking to at the bar agreed: 'An actual pub is going to be a thing of the past. This is all going to be flats.' Choppen added: 'I always say': 'It's use it or lose it'. If you don't use your local, it won't be here.'
