Pub group JD Wetherspoon warns slow recovery from latest restrictions may hurt Irish growth plans 

Ireland has been the area of greatest sales decline for the group, due to the longest duration of lockdowns, said JD Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin.

JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said the company is 'continually on the lookout for new sites' in Ireland.

British pub group JD Wetherspoon has warned that its Irish expansion plans may be negatively impacted if trading levels across the hospitality sector don’t quickly return to pre-Covid levels once current restrictions are eased in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the back of a trading update indicating the group made a loss in the first half of its financial year due to Covid restrictions in the UK and Ireland, Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said publicans have become more cautious, and cash flows are negative across the industry, meaning it could be “a long path to recovery”.