A price war among publicans is looming in the new year following the announcement that UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon plans to open up to 200 new pubs across Ireland and the UK over the next five years.
The company is set to open new locales in Cork City and Swords, Blanchardstown and Camden St in Dublin in the very near future, as part of a major £400m (€510m) investment.
Wetherspoon currently operates 931 pubs and employs more than 34,000 staff in the UK and Ireland, and it recently made headlines here for removing all Heineken products from its establishments in Ireland after a dispute over supply. In fact, Wetherspoons opened the the Forty Foot pub, which overlooks Dun Laoghaire Harbour, with neither Guinness or Murphy’s stout on tap nor Heineken or Foster’s lager.
The company offers English-brewed stouts at the very attractive price of €2.50 a pint, which effectively undercuts the average price of a pint anywhere in Dublin by at least €2. Wetherspoon’s range of beverages also include Czech, American and English lagers at either €2.50 or €2.95 a pint, once again taking out €2 or €2.50 on standard Dublin city prices.
This move, while promoting jobs, competitiveness and choice, will likely spark a price war among long established publicans here in Ireland, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be.