Outspoken pub boss Tim Martin today showed that it is possible to keep sales rising, even in the face of a tax and regulatory burden he regards as deeply unfair.
The chairman of JD Wetherspoon, the cheap and cheerful nationwide chain, saw sales up 6.3% in the 13 weeks to April 28. ‘Spoons opened another 16 pubs since the start of the year. It has more than 800 with ambitions for 1600. Martin said today: “The biggest dangers to the pub industry are the VAT disparity between supermarkets and pubs and the imposition of stealth taxes such as the late-night levy and increased fruit/slot machine taxes. However, the company hopes that the recent abolition of the duty escalator and the reduction in beer duty indicates a greater appreciation of the important economic and social role pubs play.”
