Latest News
Wetherspoon bid to open in Whitby
A MAJOR pub chain is set to launch a bid to acquire one of Whitby's biggest venues.
JD Wetherspoon has long cast an eye on the town and the Whitby Gazette understands it has now identified the New Angel Hotel as its preferred site.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon would not comment on whether a bid for the site is near, only saying that a site has been found in Whitby.
He added: "We cannot comment on individual sites only that the company has identified one in Whitby though it is still at early stage.
"No bid has been made and no discussions with the owners have taken place.
"Whitby is a town we have long been looking at moving into but we have been waiting for the right premises."
He refused when pressed by the Whitby Gazette to confirm that it was the hotel in New Quay Road that the company was looking to purchase.
A spokesman for JD Wetherspoon would not comment on whether a bid for the site is near, only saying that a site has been found in Whitby.
He added: "We cannot comment on individual sites only that the company has identified one in Whitby though it is still at early stage.
"No bid has been made and no discussions with the owners have taken place.
"Whitby is a town we have long been looking at moving into but we have been waiting for the right premises."
He refused when pressed by the Whitby Gazette to confirm that it was the hotel in New Quay Road that the company was looking to purchase.
The story came to light when JD Weatherspoon chief executive John Hutson said during an interview last week it was looking to move into a number of towns in Yorkshire, including Whitby.
The pub group has unveiled a new £530m debt facility, giving it the firepower to ramp up its expansion plans.
Wetherspoon currently has 50 pubs in Yorkshire, and plans to expand its 746-strong estate by 50 this year.
The New Angel Hotel's freehold is currently on the market for £1m after its owners Absolute Leisure Ltd went into administration last May, with the premises currently listed for sale by Newcastle-based agents Christie and Co.
