why are there no J D Wetherspoon pubs in ROI?

Chinasea

Cydoniac wrote: »

I'm against chains taking over a place and consequently removing choice.

Get a bank loan so and open up a pub. Put your home, your family and all ye got up as guarantors.

Wait for the stampede....

There are tons of pubs for sale at rock bottom prices.

J_E

Chinasea wrote: »

Get a bank loan so and open up a pub. Put your home, your family and all ye got up as guarantors.

Wait for the stampede....

There are tons of pubs for sale at rock bottom prices.

This is a "You can't judge a singer if you can't sing" argument. There are also well established pubs that aren't going anywhere, so not sure what point you are actually making here. You think it's going to get any better when a chain decides to take up spots all over the country at prices no homegrown establishment can compete with?

bumper234

Cydoniac wrote: »

This is a "You can't judge a singer if you can't sing" argument. There are also well established pubs that aren't going anywhere, so not sure what point you are actually making here. You think it's going to get any better when a chain decides to take up spots all over the country at prices no homegrown establishment can compete with?

Go into temple bar, pay €7 for a pint and then say you wouldn't go into a weatherspoons. I pay €5:20 for a beer in my local, if Weatherspoons want to sell beers for €3 or €4 then bring it on, the competition will be good for the customers for once.

Macy0161

You'd swear this was the first pub group we've had in the state - Thomas Read group had nearly 20 pubs/ bars at its peak for example, and I'm sure there's more multi pub operators too.

J_E

bumper234 wrote: »

Go into temple bar, pay €7 for a pint and then say you wouldn't go into a weatherspoons. I pay €5:20 for a beer in my local, if Weatherspoons want to sell beers for €3 or €4 then bring it on, the competition will be good for the customers for once.

You're more the fool if you go to Temple Bar and spend €7 on a pint, what a silly comparison. Loads of places you can go for pints at that price, publin.ie is your friend.

bumper234

Cydoniac wrote: »

You're more the fool if you go to Temple Bar and spend €7 on a pint, what a silly comparison. Loads of places you can go for pints at that price, publin.ie is your friend.

Herself is from the UK so every now and then i have to do the touristy crap with visiting family

Beefy78

Being British I'm predisposed to both Wetherspoons AND Temple Bar

chopper6

Macy0161 wrote: »

You'd swear this was the first pub group we've had in the state - Thomas Read group had nearly 20 pubs/ bars at its peak for example, and I'm sure there's more multi pub operators too.

Yes...and every single one of them charged extortionate prices to line the pockets of the multimillionaire consortium.

Gouging of the worst sort...they deserved to go under.

SimonQuinlank

Louis Fitzgerald owns a fair amount of pubs too IIRC.Stags Head,Gin Palace,Kehoes,Big Tree,3 out in Clondalkin and Tallaght,Poitin Stil on the Naas Road.

flas

SimonQuinlank wrote: »

Louis Fitzgerald owns a fair amount of pubs too IIRC.Stags Head,Gin Palace,Kehoes,Big Tree,3 out in Clondalkin and Tallaght,Poitin Stil on the Naas Road.

the two arlingtons,the grand central,a hand in baggot inn,and the parnell mooney,the quays,loads places...

bumper234

Capital bars once owned break for the border, Major Toms, Sinnotts, the George, Dragon, the station (above Tara st fire station) a place in Rathmines (across from tramco) Dandelion, bad bobs in temple bar and a couple of other places.

reprazant

Worksmans Blub, Bison Bar, Vintage Cocktails Club, Liquour Rooms, Garage Bar, Madison, Everleigh Gardens and the new Peruke & Periwig all have the same owner.

Down in Cork Bodega, Sin É,The Oval, Crane Lane, the Mutton Lane, and Arthur Mayne’s are all owned by the same guy.

kooga

re wetherspoons in cork the planning application for the former newport bar is in with the city council so another few weeks to go

Beefy78

Whether or not pubs in Dublin are owned by the same people they almost all sell the same half a dozen drinks so might as well be.

Macy0161

My point about Thomas Read group was more aimed at all the talk of big dastardly "chain" coming over here, ruining our pubs. We've had, and have, chains of pubs in the state as it is. I would suggest these are the types of pub more likely to be effected by Wetherspoons entering the market than the family run local.

reprazant

Completely agree. Even the the type pubs that are most popular at the moment, are mainly chains. See the 3 Porterhouse (Temple Bar, Nasseau St, Phibsboro) and the 5 Galway Bay Brewery owned pubs (Against The Grain, Black Sheep, Brew Dock, Dark House and Alfie Byrnes) and that is just in Dublin.

Lucena

Macy0161 wrote: »

You'd swear this was the first pub group we've had in the state - Thomas Read group had nearly 20 pubs/ bars at its peak for example, and I'm sure there's more multi pub operators too.

Still extremely small compared to the high hundreds in some British pub groups.

Macy0161

Lucena wrote: »

Still extremely small compared to the high hundreds in some British pub groups.

Wetherspoons have only confirmed two in the state, so far.

Idbatterim

Wetherspoons have only confirmed two in the state, so far.

They want to open up to 30 of them... They need to open one in templebar, I wish smithfield etc...

kooga

kooga wrote: »

re wetherspoons in cork the planning application for the former newport bar is in with the city council so another few weeks to go

I had heard April 2014 for the due date to open so that sounds about right. I'm assuming they're not expecting any problems or objections with the council or anything? Whether one approves of Wetherspoons or not, the Newport is in a grand spot and it's definitely a shame having it lie empty.

Woodround

Macy0161 wrote: »

Wetherspoons have only confirmed two in the state, so far.

They plan to open far more than 2: http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/jd-wetherspoon-plans-up-to-50-pubs-here-29941654.html

Idbatterim

there are loads of places I can see a weatherspoons working, Blackrock is probably one of the last places I would have thought would be a good location for one...

Philo Beddoe

bumper234 wrote: »

Capital bars once owned break for the border, Major Toms, Sinnotts, the George, Dragon, the station (above Tara st fire station) a place in Rathmines (across from tramco) Dandelion, bad bobs in temple bar and a couple of other places.

Worst pub-crawl ever.

Mr Simpson

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I had heard April 2014 for the due date to open so that sounds about right. I'm assuming they're not expecting any problems or objections with the council or anything? Whether one approves of Wetherspoons or not, the Newport is in a grand spot and it's definitely a shame having it lie empty.

I doubt it will be April, they said Blackrock, Dublin will be their first and thats July, when planning is approved, you're still looking at a few months fit out

Geuze

For your information, here is a selection of prices from Wetherspoon Enniskillen, based on a visit during April 2014.

All prices in stg.

Draught beer

Guinness 265

Carlsberg 3.8% 205
Stella 299
Heineken 5.0% 269

Ruddles ale 175
Abbot ale 5.0% 215
Adnam's Broadside 210
Sharp's Doom Bar 225


Spirits

Gin = 2.20 with free tonic, 4 choices - this seems very good value

Bells = 250
Malts = 305 - 3 choices
Jameson = 325

Double spirit, 70ml according to menu, for 1.00 extra

So for 3.20 you get a double gin and tonic, that's under 4 euro - unreal value

A double Jameson is 4.25, that's under 5.50 euro

annascott

By the time the 'Rip-off Ireland' tax has been added, Wetherspoons will no longer be cheap ergo. it won't work.

Lou.m

dd972 wrote: »

You'd think with the boozing culture we have they'd have colonised our town and cities some time ago, plus costwise they'd annihilate the opposition paying through the nose for their Guinness and Heineken.

Only heard bit and bobs of rumour as to why there's no Spoon pubs here ranging from the fact that it's in the Eurozone and it doesn't fit in with their business plan and the Victuallers Association here are keeping them out by some means or other, anybody heard anything more substantial?

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO THING MOTE???

Geuze

annascott wrote: »

By the time the 'Rip-off Ireland' tax has been added, Wetherspoons will no longer be cheap ergo. it won't work.

Note that VAT on food at 9% in RoI is lower than 20% in the UK.

Beer excise duty is fairly similar.

Other costs are higher, yes.

annascott

I am fortunate enough to be able to do most of my shopping in the North. Not sure what is what regarding tax percentages, but I do know that restaurants and general shopping is all cheaper.

L1011

Wages in NI are lower, quite significantly so, in general. Minimum wage is lower and many more jobs are minimum wage than down here. Insurance is not cheaper in general due to the now mostly historic risk of businesses being torched etc for being on the 'wrong street'; this is different to the rest of the UK though.

In terms of pub prices it appears to be the wholesale and distribution chain that makes up most of the price different - VAT is 3% higher, from memory beer duty is virtually identical and spirit duty is higher (although that may be the other way around); although wine duty is a lot lower. Wetherspoons operate on tiny profit margins compared to other pubs too, you won't get £2.05 Carlsberg elsewhere in NI.