Wetherspoon shuns European drink firms as it prepares for Brexit
PUB chain Wetherspoon is to sell more drinks from the UK and non-eu brewers in the run-up to Brexit.
Champagne and wheat beers produced in France and Germany will be replaced. Sparkling wines from the UK and Australia will be substituted for Champagne, while more UK wheat beers will be sold. The switch will affect all 880 Wetherspoon pubs from July 9.
“This move helps us to broaden our horizons so we create an improved offer for the two million customers who visit our pubs each week,” said Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin.
The strong supporter of Brexit added: “It is the start of a review of all products in the next six to 24 months, with the object of making our business more competitive. The EU’S customs union is a protectionist system.
“It imposes tariffs on the 93% of the world that is not in the EU, keeping prices high for UK consumers. Tariffs are imposed on wine from Australia, New Zealand and the US, and also on coffee, oranges, rice and more than 12,000 other products.
“There will be an inevitable transfer of trade post-brexit to countries outside the EU, which will reduce prices. The products we are now introducing are at lower prices than the EU products they replace.
“We intend to honour existing contracts with EU suppliers, some of which have several years to run.
“However, we are starting to make the transition to non-eu trade now.”
Sparkling wines from the UK will include Denbies Sparkling Whitedowns Brut and Whitedowns Rose Brut, as well as Hardys Sparkling Pinot Char- donnay from Australia. The pubs will also serve UK wheat beers, Blue Moon Belgian White, Thornbridge Versa Weisse Beer and SA Brains Atlantic White.
Wetherspoon’s will continue to serve Swedish firm Kopparberg’s cider. Kopparberg has confirmed it will be producing its cider in the UK post-brexit.