JDW pumps £1.8m into city site
The Stick or Twist in Merrion Way first opened in 1997 but was demolished to create a new unit with student accommodation above.
The pub group will start building work on 5 April with the site expected to reopen in the summer (6 July).
As part of the refurbishment, the open kitchen will be double its original size and the overall site will be 25% bigger than the original and offer 4,000sq ft of customer space on one level.
It will also have outside terraces to the front and side of the building with bifold doors opening onto it from the pub.
City commitment
JDW chief executive John Hutson said: “We’re delighted the Stick or Twist is set to open once again. The pub was open for 21 years and was extremely popular.
“We are confident existing, as well as new customers will welcome the pub’s reopening and be impressed with its new look.
“JDW has always enjoyed great success in Leeds and this investment in the new pub highlights our commitment to the city.”
This comes after JDW was among the pub operators to claim the most through the furlough scheme in December 2020.
Figures published by the Government indicate the amount claimed by the country’s largest pub companies within a banded range.
JD Wetherspoon (JDW) claimed between £25,000,001 to £50,000,000 under the furlough scheme at the end of last year.
Employee update
In January this year, the pub behemoth stated it had 99% (37,000) of its employees on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme.
This came after more than 300 staff were made redundant across JDW’s airport sites and head office, The Morning Advertiser (MA) reported last month.
More than 300 staff were made redundant across the pub group’s airport sites and head office. JDW revealed in September that staff at its airport sites had been told a possible 400 to 450 roles were at risk due to a drop in passenger numbers.
