200 new West Midlands jobs at Wetherspoon

Pub chain Wetherspoon today announced plans to expands its empire in the West Midlands, creating around 200 jobs.

As it rung up record results today, the company said it had identified sites in Wolverhampton, Bloxwich, Oldbury and Walsall.

It refused to reveal the location of the proposed pubs, but said each new watering hole will create around 50 new jobs.

The expansion plans come as the pubs chain announced bumper pre-tax profits, up 7.3 per cent to £71 million. Revenue for the 12 months to July 25 increased 4.3 per cent to £996.3 million.

The success has been put down to new 7am opening, which has led to customers tucking in to 400,000 cooked breakfasts and 600,000 cups of coffee every week.

Finance director Keith Down today said it was looking to open 250 pubs over the next five years, taking the estate to over 1,000.

"There are lots of other locations in the region that we would like to be in. If we could find sites and open these, we would do," he said.

Wetherspoon already operates a raft of pubs in the region, including The Moon Under Water in Wolverhampton, The Billiard Hall in West Bromwich, The Imperial in Walsall, The Full Moon in Dudley and The Picture House in Stafford.

The pub chain markets itself as a venue for cheap food and beer. It bans music and is often located in renovated landmark buildings.

It also holds an annual real ales festival, featuring micro-breweries from the West Midlands, which has helped its beer sales rise six per cent.

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: "The biggest danger to the pub industry is a continued increase in tax and regulation. We hope the UK government's attitude towards pubs, in particular, changes and that a co-operative and helpful, rather than a punitive approach is adopted."

By Business Editor Jim Walsh