Wetherspoons to open holiday park pubs

Pub giant JD Wetherspoon has announced that it has signed an exclusive agreement with holiday park operator Haven, investing £1.1 million in the first site.

The first pub is due to open at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park in North Yorkshire this March, with more pubs expected to open down the line. This makes it the first UK holiday park to have an on-site Wetherspoons.

Haven, which was acquired by asset manager Blackstone in 2021, operates 41 holiday parks across the UK, while Wetherspoons operates more than 800 pubs in the UK (it also has several in the Republic of Ireland, but it was recently revealed that JD Wetherspoon would be scaling back its business in the country). The on-site boozer at Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park will be about 8 miles away from the next nearest Wetherspoons, The Lord Rosebery in Scarborough.

The new pub is part of a £4m investment Haven is making in its food and drink offering. Haven already has parks with on-site Burger Kings, Costa Coffees and Papa Johns. There is evidence to suggest that these sites will be well-used, with increased Google traffic surrounding UK holiday parks last year indicating that there is increased interest in ‘staycations’ at the likes of Butlin’s, Potins and, indeed, Haven.

Peter Blake, chief operating officer at Haven, said: “We are thrilled to be the first holiday provider to partner with one of the UK’s leading and much-loved pub operators. This new venture underlines our dedication to growing our food and beverage partnerships and offering for our holidaymakers and holiday home owners.”

JD Wetherspoon founder Sir Tim Martin was recently, and somewhat controversially, awarded a knighthood for his “services to hospitality and culture”.