The pub will open on the site of the former Temper restaurant in the Paddington Basin near the canal and within a short distance of the railway and tube stations.
There is also a mix of pubs and restaurants as well as residential and office buildings nearby. JDW said it would be spending £1m on developing the site, creating up to 50 jobs.
In addition, the company said it aimed to start development work in a few weeks-time with plans for the venue be open towards the end of summer.
Great addition
JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: “We are looking forward to opening our new pub in Paddington.
“Merchant Square is a great mix of residential, office and pubs/restaurants, on the Paddington Basin. We believe that our new pub will be a great addition to the area.”
Earlier this month, it was revealed JDW had appointed property adviser Christie & Co to support the pub company in its search for franchise partners, which would be specifically targeting hoteliers.
It said it is looking to expand from c.800 sites to 1,000 sites and was also welcoming enquiries from other sectors.
Recently, Wetherspoon boss Sir Tim Martin said he would be “pretty anxious” if there were further increases in taxes this Autumn.
Creating jobs
Speaking on the ITV Peston show he revealed that increased national insurance, minimum wage and business rates have added £1.2m in costs to the business.
Meanwhile, last year the company opened The Lion and The Unicorn at The Sidings at London’s Waterloo station, spending £2.8m developing the site which created 70 jobs.
Earlier this year, the pubco revealed like-for-like sales across its estate were 5.1% higher in the 25 weeks to 19 January 2025 than the same period in 2024.
Bar sales were up by 4.5%, food by 5.6% and slot/fruit machines by 11.7%. However, hotel room sales decreased by 6.5%.
