TODAY, BLACKPOOL Aloud speaks with Eddie Gershon, from JD Wetherspoons, who now have two pubs in the town.
Hello Eddie, many thanks for taking the time to talk to the readers of Blackpool Aloud.
Firstly, what made JD Wetherspoon decide to open a second pub in the resort?
Wetherspoon is looking forward to opening its new pub in Blackpool. The company has enjoyed great success with its pub in the town, The Auctioneer, and believes the new pub, The Albert and the Lion will enjoy the same success. People enjoy our pubs, however, in Blackpool, they only have the option of going to one of them, so the fact that we are now only a few weeks from opening a second in the town is great news from our point of view and will be welcomed by residents and holidaymakers alike.
Many people in Blackpool are very excited to see JD Wetherspoon take such a prominent building, what plans do you have for the building and how is the work going?
Work on the building is going very well and we are set to open the pub on July 2. It is a well known building. Most recently it was a Pricebusters, but was originally built as a Woolworths and was the company’s flagship store.
Wetherspoon is spending around £600,000 developing the building and creating approx 40 jobs in the process. The pub will have one bar and be music-free. It will have wheelchair access and also a specially-adapted toilet for customers with disabilities. It will feature paintings and photos relating to the history and characters of the area.
Wetherspoon has applied for an outside drinking area to the front of the pub and is awaiting a decision on that.
The pub will be family friendly and children, accompanied by an adult, will be welcome in the pub until a set hour at night (please note the timings have still to be confirmed).
Finally Eddie, everyone is still celebrating Blackpool’s promotion to the Premier League, what do you think the win means for the town and as a business do you think it will increase your trade in Blackpool?
On the subject of Blackpool looking forward to Premier League football, this is great news for the town and ourselves.
There is no doubt that there will be an extra buzz around Blackpool and the football team will also help to attract people to the town, especially at weekends when the games are on.
It is great that we are opening a new pub at a time of boom and expectation in Blackpool and we are looking forward to being an important part of the community for many years to come.
Eddie, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to the readers of Blackpool Aloud
To join the full discussion of the new JD Wetherspoons go to http://blackpoolaloud.org.uk/forums/showthread.php/198-JD-Wetherspoon-take-the-old-old-Woolworths-Building.
Great interview – The sands and Wetherspoon are the two perfect venues to replace the derelict Pricebusters and Palace buildings. The Golden Mile will finally be ‘golden’ once more!
Fantastic interview, this is a great site. There has been a massive visible lack of a town centre Wetherspoon for ages and now we get two of them. There is a Lloyds No.1 proposed for Market St too. I am looking forward to them opening, it will be nice to have some quality pubs in the town centre and you can get good food and friendly service. I also like JDW as they banned smoking even before the ban came in. Just wish Caffe Nero would open in Blackpool now, their absence is becoming more and more frustrating. Maybe you could get an interview with them ZF!!!
I’m looking forward to the Market Street one myself, because it’s got a rooftop terrace and the weather’s starting to get a bit more pleasant!
Cheers everyone, yeh the two new pubs will be great, for reasons we have all discussed, there is something for everyone at a JD Wetherspoon’s pub. Apart from all the obvious reasons it’s such an improveent on the Pricebusters sign and even worse another empty space on the prom. It is very much a win win for everyone.