Wetherspoons apologises after beer supplies hit
Pub chain JD Wetherspoon has apologised to customers after its beer supplies became the latest casualty of the UK’s supply chain crunch.
The hospitality giant – whose pubs include The William Jameson and Cooper Rose in Sunderland, The Wouldhave in South Shields and the Ward Jackson in Hartlepool – confirmed that supplies of Carling and Coors have been affected, with some pubs not receiving deliveries.
Brewer Molson Coors said it has been ‘hit by the HGV driver shortage’.
Lorry driver and factory staff shortages attributed to Brexit employment rules and the pandemic have also impacted supplies at McDonald’s, Nando’s and KFC in recent weeks.
Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are experiencing some supply problems with both Carling and Coors, which means that some pubs do not have the products available.
"We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused. We know the brewers are trying to resolve the issue.”
Mr Gershon added stocks of Carling and Coors had been depleted when customers bought more after industrial action impacted deliveries from Heineken
“As a result of a shortage of deliveries of Heineken, some other products ran out in some locations." he said.
“We understand the industrial action has now been called off.
“As of today, the majority of pubs, we believe, are now fully stocked, but some may be short of a few brands, pending deliveries.”
Bosses at the Road Haulage Association warned last week that there is a shortfall of around 100,000 drivers.