Chain plans 50 more pubs here

BRITISH pub group Wetherspoons is targeting cities including Dublin and Galway as part of a £200m (€238m) plan to open between 50 and 60 new outlets over the next four years.

The company, headed by founder and Brexiteer Tim Martin, pictured, said the expansion plan was primarily focused on small and medium-sized towns, but will also include larger urban centres.

It expects the investment to result in the creation of 10,000 jobs. Edinburgh, London, Birmingham and Leeds are also being targeted for growth by the pub group.

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

The chain entered the Irish market in 2014, years after postponing its debut here.

It currently has seven pubs in Ireland, including five in Dublin. It has one in Carlow and one in Cork. It plans to open a pub in Waterford

early next year and this year bought the Carbon nightclub in Galway, which will be redeveloped as a Wetherspoons pub.

Of its five outlets in Dublin, just one – The Silver Penny – is in the city centre. However, Wetherspoons is also developing an 89-bedroom hotel and pub on Camden Street in the capital, at a cost of €18.5m.

Last month, the company acquired the HQ Bar and Restaurant at the Grand Canal in Dublin.

The property, situated next to the Marker Hotel, had been put up for sale with a €5.5m guide price.

Wetherspoons intends to operate the premises as a pub, but could also redevelop the site.

In a trading update last month, Wetherspoons said that its likefor-like sales rose 5.3pc in the 13 weeks to October 27, while total sales were up 5.6pc. The company, with a £1.57bn market capitalisation, generated total revenue of £1.8bn in its last financial year, and a pre-tax profit of £102.5m, which was down by 4.5pc on the previous year.

Mr Martin said last month that he “strongly believes” the UK will be “better off” with a no-deal Brexit, rather than the deal which is being proposed by the British government.

The group has seven pubs in Ireland