Booze boom: UK pub numbers grow for the first time in a decade December 11, 2019 The number of UK pubs and bars grew in 2019, sparking hopes of a turnaround in fortunes for Britain’s boozers after a decade of decline. New figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) revealed that there was a net gain of 320 pubs this year. Read more: UK restaurants and pubs hope for festive [...]
Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin says he is concerned about Labour’s plans for the economy December 10, 2019 Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin said today that he is concerned about the Labour Party’s plans for the economy. “I’m worried by [Jeremy] Corbyn and [John] McDonnell’s plans. Wetherspoon has thrived in a free market economy under Conservative and Labour governments and the current Labour leadership prefers state ownership and control,” he told City A.M. A [...]
Wetherspoons heads to the bar for £200m splurge on 10,000 new jobs December 10, 2019 Pub group JD Wetherspoons is set to spend £200m on its pub estate over the next four years creating up to 10,000 new jobs, it said today. The pub chain said it would invest the money developing new pubs and hotels as well as enlarging its existing pubs across the UK and the Republic of [...]
Wetherspoons shareholders back Tim Martin after corporate governance row November 21, 2019 Outspoken JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has emerged victorious from his clash with a proxy adviser after shareholders voted overwhelmingly in his support. More than 98 per cent of investors voted to re-elect Martin, who founded the company in 1979, as executive chairman at the budget pub chain’s annual general meeting today. Read more: Wetherspoons [...]
Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin launches attack on City regulators November 13, 2019 JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin lashed out at proxy advisor Pirc this morning, branding the firm’s recommendations to shareholders unhelpful to “business and the country”. In a wide-ranging attack on corporate governance, Martin slammed Pirc’s advice as “toxic” and called major Wetherspoon shareholders Columbia Threadneedle and Blackrock “hypocrites”. Read more: Wetherspoon faces backlash over Brexit [...]
Wetherspoon faces backlash over Brexit campaign spending November 7, 2019 Investors have been urged to oppose JD Wetherspoon’s financial report over its failure to get shareholder approval for pro-Brexit spending. Influential shareholder advisory firm Pirc said Wetherspoon had not cleared referendum campaign spending, which included £94,856 on almost 2m pro-leave beer mats ahead of the 2016 vote. Read more: Wetherspoon’s boss Tim Martin slams elite [...]
‘Financially illiterate’: Tim Martin has a scathing assessment of Glass Lewis advisory service November 3, 2019 Tim Martin, the boss of JD Wetherspoon pubs, has launched a broadside against shareholder adviser Glass Lewis, after it said investors should vote against the company’s pay policy. Glass Lewis, which is the second-biggest shareholder advisory service in the world, raised concerns about a “significant” increase in pay for the pub group’s finance chief for [...]
Britannia Hotels tops list of worst UK hotel chains for seventh year October 28, 2019 Britannia Hotels has been named the worst hotel chain in the UK for the seventh year in a row as guests slammed it for poor cleanliness and value for money. Customers gave the hotel chain, which has 61 venues across the UK, one star ratings in almost every category. Read more: Profit dips at Whitbread [...]
Pub companies: Is now the time to invest in a cheap pint? September 23, 2019 Investors in Greene King are raising a glass in celebration after Hong Kong’s richest man, Victor Li, agreed to buy the UK’s largest publicly-listed pub and brewery company for £4.6 billion (including net debt). A unit of Li’s investment vehicle, CK Asset Holdings, has bid 850 pence per share – more than a 50 per [...]
Can you Brexit-proof your investment portfolio? September 16, 2019 The future of Brexit is unknown, but investors and traders need to be proactive if they are to avoid any sudden shocks. Here’s how you might Brexit-proof your investment portfolio. The UK hasn’t left the EU yet, but Brexit is already wielding its influence over the financial markets. For the past three years, investors and traders [...]