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Brexit: Wetherspoons boss who campaigned for Leave threatens to stop selling European drinks because of 'EU bullying' | Brexit: Wetherspoons boss who campaigned for Leave threatens to stop selling European drinks because of 'EU bullying' |
(35 minutes later) | |
JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has said his pub chain could stop selling European drinks brands unless EU leaders stop “bullying” Britain. | |
Mr Martin, who distributed 500,000 beer mats calling for the UK to leave the EU, accused European leaders such as Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, French President Francois Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel of adopting a hostile approach to Brexit negotiations. Mr Martin said his firm would buy less from European brewers if it is unable to agree on tariff-free transactions. | |
He said: “I don’t think Wetherspoon or British buyers are in a weak position because we can switch from Swedish cider to British cider. So the people put in a weak position are the sellers and I think that is the paradox that has not been illustrated.” | He said: “I don’t think Wetherspoon or British buyers are in a weak position because we can switch from Swedish cider to British cider. So the people put in a weak position are the sellers and I think that is the paradox that has not been illustrated.” |
He added: “According to press reports, Juncker told European business leaders in October not to negotiate with UK companies and to adopt an intransigent attitude. I would not advise any EU companies to follow that advice. If we, and companies like ours, are unable to agree on tariff-free transactions, it will inevitably result in a loss of business for European companies which have done nothing to deserve this outcome.” | |
Mr Martin who donated £200,000 to the Leave campaign, has accused the IMF, the Bank of England and other major financial organisations of “irresponsible doom-mongering”, after the UK voted to leave the EU. | |
His latest comments came in a trading update for the first quarter ending 23 October. Wetherspoons' like-for-like sales were up by 3.5 per cent. However, the figure fell to 2.3 per cent for the last five weeks of the period. | |
The company added that it expects to be hit by higher costs in wages, business rates and repairs. | The company added that it expects to be hit by higher costs in wages, business rates and repairs. |
Mr Martin said: “The company has made a reasonable start in the current year, but any forecasts for the full year are inevitably tentative, with nine months still to go – and the outlook for the current financial year is unchanged.” |
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