National pub operator JD Wetherspoon is to open 30 new pubs and create 1,200 jobs in 2013, including some in New Brighton, Wirral.

The expansion plans will see pubs open in cities across the UK, adding to the firm’s current total of 866 pubs and bars. The company is to invest more than £35 million (€43 million) in areas including Cardiff, Fort William, Selby, Whitby, New Brighton and Fraserburgh. Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin said: “We are looking forward to opening the new pubs, many of which will be in areas where Wetherspoon is not yet represented. “We are also pleased to be creating so many new jobs, especially during a recession. “There is no question that we would open more pubs and create more jobs in 2013 if the increasing tax burden on pubs was reduced.”

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.