[Closed] Wetherspoon's profits down by 19%

I'll raise a glass to that from somewhere else.

Just wait til the only thing you can buy in there is English wine and Carling 😀

That is one company I would be quite glad to see go bust and it's premises taken over.

Likewise. I was never a big drinker anyway but won't step into Wetherspoons any more (except perhaps for a McPiss with Lies if necessary)

We used to go into the one at the nec. This year we took our custom elsewhere.

So you don't mind his staff losing jobs? How very Brexit of you.

"So you don’t mind his staff losing jobs? How very Brexit of you."

If that was directed at me, then my comment about "premises being taken over" inferred, I hoped, that the pubs would be bought out and continue without the father jack-a-like espousing his unpleasant views and without having Spoons written over the front door.

So you don’t mind his staff losing jobs?

I think it's possible to feel schadenfreude that such a prominent person who a lot of people feel is a complete and utter tosser of the highest order's business has suffered a setback whilst also feeling sorry for those employees affected by it.

And I'm sure in the brave new world, some entrepreneurial Brexitard will employ them to pick fruit of veg all day. At <minimum wage, of course.

Or maybe they can become trawlermenpersons.

So you don’t mind his staff losing jobs? How very Brexit of you.

I'm mostly worried about me and my staff losing our jobs.

I’m mostly worried about me and my staff losing our jobs.

Excellent reply.

I like them, it gives the people I ban somewhere to go.

Pubs, any pubs, are still a better social network than any of the recent ideas.

I couldn't give a **** about the owner, I like or dislike whichever wethers in whichever town I come across because of the pub itself. Went in one in birmingham a few weeks ago and it was spot on. I'd quite like it if one opened in our home town as a spoons alldayer would be easily had!

I don't like the owner but the pubs are great if you accept them for what they are.
The food is always edible, well priced and quick. It's not gormet, it's not pretty but it is what it is.
The ale is well kept, the spirit range is wide and even the wine is OK if you pick carefully.
The building themselves are often refurbed from a terrible state to what they are now, They're generally, big open places and not a bad place to spend an hour or 2.
All this and you can order on an app so don't have to talk to anyone.

There are other pubs in my wee town I much prefer, but if I end up in a 'Spoons it's no bad thing at all.

The owner is financially insulated (he's already made his money) from the impacts of his own idiotic xenophobic PoV but his staff (which probably don't agree with him) are the ones to take the hit.
So boycotting is required because otherwise you are condoning and agreeing with his views.
brexit in a nutshell indeed.

Although profits fell sharply, sales at the chain are continuing to rise.

Wetherspoon's revenues rose by 7%, and like-for-like sales by more than 6%.

Doesn't look like the STW boycott is working, just a pesky costs rising thing.

Doesn’t look like the STW boycott is working, just a pesky costs rising thing.

You didn't think that folk on here would read the story when they could just have a rant about the owner did you? 🙂 The main cost increase has been increased wages which is a good thing surely.TBF staff had talked about strike action to support their pay claim.

So boycotting is required because otherwise you are condoning and agreeing with his views.

Ermmm no I'm not. I'm just enjoying a pint and decent cheap breakfast.

I think boycotting is a bit strong. He has a different point of view to me, I really think he shouldn't be trying to sell his idea to his customer via beer mats, but they don't let under-18s vote so I guess it's up to adults to decide for themselves.

Boycotting somewhere because of the owners beliefs just makes the world more polarised and aggressive place, this political tribalism doesn't no one any good and really adds to the Brexit problem, it doesn't solve it.

We’ve got one up town, it’s not bad, the free coffee always smells good, beers ok, can take an age to get served tho.

Then there’s the Postal Order in Worcester, we’d occasionally pop in before getting the train home, god it’s a depressing foresaken place.

Got pissed off tho when they stopped stocking Erdinger 😡😡

That really is a dreadful article, particularly for the BBC. Ridiculous click bate headline insinuating that the company is doing badly, no mention of the actual reason for the drop in profits, no mention of the impact on the company share price, but plenty of silly anti brexit comment.

The Cambridge offering is pretty grim, driving past there on a weekend evening makes my skin creep a little, it's pretty much the pinnacle of the binge drinking lifestyle.

As a teenager and early 20's-something I was one of the people I see these days. I don't miss those days (I was of course at the Watford edition in those days though).

eddiebaby

Subscriber

So you don’t mind his staff losing jobs? How very Brexit of you.

Less weatherspoons probably means more other pubs.

Having said that, I was in a spoons on sunday, and did not feel morally compromised. Well, maybe a little but the gluten free apple crumble made up for it.

A few people I know boycott it, and I can understand, but it's good for what it is, and if I boycotted every business owned by folk with different political views to mine I wouldn't be able to do much.

FFS, those NRA supporting bike-related companies have proven hard enough!

Good selection of beers at decent price, works for me.

I wouldn’t actively boycott but would prob choose somewhere different if available. Tbh all the ones I’ve been in seem to be full of scrotes anyway...!

Yeah, love Spoons. Always get a decent drink in there at a reasonable price with no irritating jukebox to ruin the session. The burgers aren't too bad either...

I'm old enough to remember being treated like a leper in pubs because we had the nerve to want to take our kids in . The pathetic token "children's room " was so bad in one pub it was just a covered alleyway between the pub and the toilets !
To now have Spoons and the like where we can occasionally take the grandchildren is a refreshing change . The 2 local to us are clean and welcoming and nothing like some of the snobby comments on here would suggest . No one I knows expects to get a gourmet experience when they visit so what's the problem .

Love Spoons! There are 2 in my town and it keeps the ****ers & families with kids out of the decent boozers 😀

Wouldn't be my first port (sic) of call but equally I don't actively avoid them. If I'm meeting up with ex-work colleagues in Leeds then we'll meet in the 'spoons at the station for example.

Like most similar chains there's good 'uns and bad 'uns.

2 in Weymouth and only one allows kids in. Brilliant!

I've been boycotting them long before Brexit, mainly as the Cambridge one is a total Chav Magnet, always seems to have a Police presence on a Fri / Sat night, arresting some morons for fighting etc.

I don't mind Spoons, I couldn't give a brass tack about the political interests of the owner. It's just supply and demand - do I want a beer? Yes. Do Spoons sell a beer I want? Yes. Sorted.

I just make sure I live a life of trying to do the right thing, and not worry about anybody else.

I feel the same tbh.
Our local one is grotty, so I avoid that.
But I’ve used a couple in Edinburgh no problem.
I struggle to GAS about a multi millionaire making slightly less profit tbh, but that’s regardless of someone’s political leanings, as i doubt everyone agrees with my exact political leanings.

If they closed down / went bust I would lose my job, as a supplier we rely on JDW for volume sales.
Lots of other breweries are in the same situation and many would shut up shop if they lost a JDW supply contract.
Not quite so funny up on the moral high ground wishing ill on others now is it??

pies aren’t as good as timraven’s place, that’s what did it

Less weatherspoons probably means more other pubs.

Perhaps, in the fantasy universe you seem to inhabit. With pubs closing in their hundreds every year, who would you suggest would be taking over their premises?

I have no probs with Spoons just ignore his Brexit ranting. Given over 50% of folk voted leave there's a fair chance that you be using plenty if businesses owned by Brexiters as the poster above states it the staff and suppliers that will really suffer bit the multi millionaire owner.

We were discussing Spoons at lunch, can someone explain how they can sell a pint of a perfectly nice pint of 5% beer for £1.29. Don't tell me it cause it's just about to go off.

With pubs closing in their hundreds every year, who would you suggest would be taking over their premises?

Lots of other breweries are in the same situation and many would shut up shop if they lost a JDW supply contract.

We were discussing Spoons at lunch, can someone explain how they can sell a pint of a perfectly nice pint of 5% beer for £1.29. Don’t tell me it cause it’s just about to go off.

Because they pay 75p a pint for it roughly . You are correct, its not about to go off. That was an urban myth from many years ago. Probably was some truth in the early days but not in the last 10+.
They operate over 1000 venues in the UK. And as such have a large group buying power which means thay can buy beer at wholesale price. Independant breweries supply JDW via a tender for the year, within a price bracket that is set at budget time.
They also have 2 x beer fesivals nationwide a year and buy a huge amount of beer for that. This is also at a competetive price.
TBF darn south its mostly £1.99 + but still very cheap . They make their profit on volume , food and cost control.
The pubs all stock 2-3 national lines that are bought in on an annual group barrelage contract ( used to be Speckled Hen , Courage Directors and Spitfire ) and all JDW stocked these and the amount of guest suppliers was subject to the throughput of these main lines.

Tim Martin is very shrewd. Backing Brexit and probably realising the fall out is millions more unemployed = millions more potential lifers who will spend all day getting quielty hammered in a local JDW . perhaps.

Backing Brexit and probably realising the fall out is millions more unemployed = millions more potential lifers who will spend all day getting quielty hammered in a local JDW . perhaps.

You really think that?

I mean the benefit is so generous that all those layabouts can afford to spend all day in the pub.

Or are you just spouting out more anti-Brexit BS in the STW echo chamber?

Try to find a major associated with progressive politics. Guinness? Young's? Tennant's?
I've seen some great buildings sensitively conserved under JDW control and it fills a gap in a bit more of a civilised way that used to be occupied by Yates. It wouldn't be my first port of call but I wouldn't reject them out of hand.

I object to the Brexit promotion within the pubs. The owner can have his own poorly thought out opinion but as soon he politicised his business he took a different tack and deserves to be boycotted.

I object to the Brexit promotion within the pubs. The owner can have his own poorly thought out opinion but as soon he politicised his business he took a different tack and deserves to be boycotted.

Do you boycott any business where the owner makes political statements?

Or just ones where you disagree with their views?