(Alliance News) - JD Wetherspoon PLC Chair Tim Martin on Monday called on the UK government to allow pubs to reopen at the same time as non-essential shops.
Most restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes across the UK closed in December, with a full third lockdown put in place at the end of the month.
At the end of January, Wetherspoon raised almost GBP94 million in a share placing to weather the latest period of pub closures.
The FTSE 250-listed chain on Monday said pubs across the UK need to reopen in order to save the industry and the associated jobs, saying around a million UK jobs have been lost already.
Martin highlighted that the pub industry makes a "massive" contribution to the economy, with "Wetherspoon alone paying about ten pounds of tax for every pound of profit it makes".
"In the last ten years Wetherspoon has generated GBP6.1 billion of taxes, something we are very proud of," said Martin. "The amount of tax paid by Wetherspoon is replicated, according to the size of the company, throughout the pub industry, and shows just how important pubs are to the economy."
The company also said that, since pubs reopened last summer, following the first lockdown, Wetherspoon has registered more than 50 million customer visits to its pubs, using the test and trace system, without a single outbreak of Covid-19.
"Surely it is possible for the hospitality industry to reopen at the same time as non-essential shops, now that a vaccine exists, on the basis of the social distancing and hygiene regulations, which were agreed with the health authorities, after full consultation, for the July 4 reopening last year," added Martin.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will this week begin considering how restrictions in England may be eased ahead of a statement on February 22 setting out his "road-map" out of lockdown. Schools are expected to be prioritised, reopening on March 8, with some Tory members of Parliament demanding that pubs and restaurants be allowed to reopen from Easter.
Wetherspoon shares were trading 3.9% higher in London on Monday at 1,260.81 pence each.
By Evelina Grecenko; evelinagrecenko@alliancenews.com
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