JD Wetherspoon and Heineken make up after row
UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon kicked off the new year by setting aside its differences with Heineken, and putting the Dutch brewer's products back onto the menus of its 926 pubs across the UK and Ireland.
From today, Wetherspoon has started serving Heineken, Fosters, Kronenbourg 1664, Strongbow, John Smith's Extra Smooth and Amstel at its UK pubs.
The pub chain's Irish outlets in Blackrock and Dún Laohaire will also sell Beamish, Fosters and Symonds Cider, but Heineken and Murphy's remain out of the deal's terms.
Last month, the entire chain stopped serving drinks produced by Heineken after the brewer refused to supply its eponymous larger and Murphy's stout at lower prices to a new Wetherspoon's pub in Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.
The group said Heineken also wanted personal guarantees from chief executive John Hutson for any debt owed by Wetherspoon, something unprecedented in 35 years of the company's trading.
Paul Hine, purchasing and distribution director for JD Wetherspoon, said:
We are pleased to have reached agreeable commercial terms with Heineken.
In the Republic of Ireland we will serve the three Heineken products at prices in line with our other products.
This followed a similar spat over pricing with drinks maker Diageo, which left it unable to sell Guinness in Ireland.