JDW boss joins anti-euro TV protest
JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has joined a host of celebrities in taking his anti-euro campaign to the big screen.
The outspoken pub boss appears in the extended version of the "say no to euro" cinema advert, which is being sent to the public via email.
Celebrities such as Sir Bob Geldof, Johnny Vaughan, Harry Enfield, Vic Reeves, Jools Holland and Rik Mayall poke fun at Prime Minister Tony Blair's bid to scrap the pound during the advert, which will be shown from July 12.
A spokesman for the campaign said: "The aim is to highlight the strength of feeling against the euro, but also to do it in a humorous way. Mr Martin appears in the extended version of the advert."
Mr Martin kicked off his anti-euro campaign last September by unveiling posters and beer mats and distributing them to more than 500 of his pubs.
The posters and beer mats featured the slogan "Let's Get Shot of It" and contained information on the "Europe Yes. Euro No." campaign.
Mr Martin has said in the past that 90 per cent of his managers back his campaign. He added: "I believe a single currency will not work without a single government. I believe the euro will collapse eventually."
Meanwhile, Mr Martin has dismissed reports that his company was hit hard when his TV-free pubs missed out on trade during the World Cup.
He described national reports of a sales slump as "mischievous" and added: "What I said is that we always see a drop in sales during the World Cup, but in this case the effect has been muted. The World Cup in France four years ago had a bigger impact on company sales.
"Although many people watched the matches in pubs with TVs, once the game was over they carried on celebrating, a lot of them in our pubs. Overall, we had a very good June."
The British Beer and Pub Association estimates that the pub trade sold an extra 44 million pints, contributing to a boost in sales of around £165m, during the World Cup.
Related articles:
Banks give a 'bad deal' says JDW boss (7 March 2002)
Cornish licensee bans euro, fearing loss of trade (18 January 2002)
200-year-old pub amongst the first to take euros (2 January 2002)
Many pubs will not accept euro (7 December 2001)
Wetherspoon boss will accept euro in his pubs (28 November 2001)
Wetherspoon chairman attacks euro (7 September 2001)
