Wetherspoon pub chain eye castlebar imperial hotel approach denied

MAYO County Council has denied speculation that leading British pub chain, JD Wetherspoon, lodged a bid to purchase the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar and had it rejected.

John Condon, county secretary, told The Connaught Telegraph the council received no approach from the firm or agents acting on its behalf.

“If such a rumour has been circulating, it is not based on fact,” he added.

However, the council’s statement has not allayed speculation that JD Wetherspoon is examining properties in the county town as part of its €50 million investment in increasing its network of Irish pubs to 30 over the coming years. There are a number of vacant public houses in the town while some others are currently on the property market.

While JD Wetherspoon don’t have an existing agreement to sell Guinness or Heineken products, the firm’s policy of selling all their line of beers for €3 per pint has proved a winning one. The company owns three pubs in Dublin and two in Cork.

A recent sale of a public house in Ballina has also led to speculation regarding JD Wetherspoon.      

The company posted revenue returns of €1.8 billion last year, a jump of 10 per cent.

Meanwhile, moves by Starbucks to establish a coffee shop at the Royal Quarter, Hopkins Road, Castlebar, are understood to be progressing.