Wetherspoon pulls sale of Heineken beers in row over Irish pub

 
Pulling the pints: Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin called Heineken’s actions “unacceptable”
AFP/Getty Images
Russell Lynch9 December 2014

A furious row over a single pub prompted JD Wetherspoon to pull £60 million of sales from brewing giant Heineken today.

The spat centres on the Dutch company’s refusal to supply Heineken, Ireland’s biggest-selling draught beer, and Murphy’s stout to Wetherspoon’s new Dun Laoghaire pub — only its second pub in Ireland.

Wetherspoon is now refusing to take Heineken’s beers at any of its 926 pubs across the UK and Ireland after it demanded “personal guarantees” from chief executive John Hutson.

Heineken is understood to have been concerned at Wetherspoon’s pricing of its beer at under €3 a pint at its first pub in Ireland — the Three Tun Tavern at Blackrock — against an average €5 in Irish pubs.

Chairman Tim Martin called Heineken’s actions “unacceptable and hard to understand”, adding: “We have been trading with Heineken for 35 years and they have never requested personal guarantees before.” Heineken was unavailable for comment.

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