The new venue, Piccadilly Hall, will open at 30 Shaftesbury Avenue as part of Criterion Capital’s wider regeneration plans for the West End landmark.
280 covers
Backed by a multi-million-pound investment, the pub is expected to become one of Wetherspoon’s largest central London venues, spanning more than 3,600sq ft with capacity for around 280 covers.
The all-day venue will operate from 7am to midnight, seven days a week, offering food and drink from breakfast through to late evening.
Located beneath the 700-plus room Zedwell Hotel Piccadilly Circus, the site is expected to serve theatregoers, tourists, office workers and local residents, with more than 100m people passing through Piccadilly Circus annually.
Criterion Capital said the opening forms part of its longer-term vision to reposition the Trocadero and surrounding estate as a major hospitality and entertainment destination in the West End.
West End growth
The project is expected to create more than 100 jobs and has been designed to align with Westminster City Council’s ‘After Dark Strategy’, supporting food-led and accessible hospitality uses throughout the day and evening economy.
Saskia Jiggens, group head of communications and engagement at Criterion Capital, said: “The London Trocadero has long played an important role in the story of the West End, and the opening of Piccadilly Hall marks an exciting new chapter for this global destination.
“This partnership with JD Wetherspoon will bring a vibrant new hospitality venue to the heart of Piccadilly, adding to the Trocadero’s carefully curated mix of occupiers and welcoming theatre-goers, local residents, hotel guests and visitors from around the world.”
JDW founder and chairman Tim Martin added: “We are delighted to be opening our first venue in Theatreland in partnership with Criterion Capital.
“The West End is one of the world’s great hospitality destinations, attracting millions of visitors each year, and we believe this site is exceptionally well suited to the Wetherspoon model of offering good-quality food and drink at reasonable prices in well-managed and historically interesting buildings.”
The Trocadero opening marks JDW’s second major Shaftesbury Avenue project announced this year, following proposals for a further West End site at the former Coyote Ugly venue.
The openings add to a busy expansion pipeline for JDW, which recently announced new university partnerships at the University of St Andrews, University of Birmingham and University of Surrey, alongside further openings in transport hubs including Heathrow Airport and London Paddington.
On top of this, JDW also opened its first pub abroad this year, at Alicante Airport in Spain.
The pubco has previously said it plans to open around 15 managed pubs and between 15 and 20 franchised pubs during the current financial year.
