Whetherspoon squeezed by drop in bar sales

Pubs chain JD Wetherspoon today reported a drop in demand for premium lagers and spirits after like-for-like sales fell over the festive period.

With 2007 seeing the start of smoking bans in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Wetherspoon said its benchmark sales figure was down by 3.2% in the 11 weeks to January 13 – sharper than the 1% drop posted in the autumn,