Wetherspoon bid to double real-ale sales

JD Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin has set his sights on doubling sales of cask ale in his pub estate. Martin believes there is a massive opportunity to increase cask ales if dispense standards can be improved.

"We've got to improve in every area - but the main one is the quality of traditional ale," he said. "That's our main focus as a company now - to have the beers available coming out in good condition and selling in high volumes so the condition is maintained.

"I think we can double our real-ale volumes. I think it's a market you have to create. It's essentially a good product and people acquire a taste for it. It's unique to pubs and I think it's a worthwhile goal. It rings the right notes with a lot of people, whether they go to pubs or not."

Martin said he had also noticed customer demand for micro-brewery products. "They brew some excellent and interesting beers. I like the product, they're usually pretty nice guys and I started as a small business myself."

Martin also admitted that the installation of an expensive glycol-chilled lager dispense system had not pleased all his customers. He said: "I think even with glycol, you don't please everyone. Lager warms up fairly quickly in a pub. If it is too cold, you can let it sit there for a minute. If it's too hot, you're stuffed."

l Waverley beer sales - p2

l Business Opinion - p10