40 jobs created as town centre pub gets new image
A £620,000 refit of a town centre pub will see 40 full and part-time jobs created, bringing the number of Wetherspoon's venues in Northampton to three.
The Cordwainer – traditionally a shoemaker specialising in soft fine leather – is due to open in the building previously occupied by Yates' in The Ridings on Friday, July 17.
The building has been closed for several months and has been the subject of a lavish five-week makeover. It will have a dance floor and DJ booth in use at weekends.
The venue is the third in cut-price pub chain Wetherspoon's Northampton portfolio, joining The Moon on the Square, in Market Square, and the recently-renamed Eastgate, formerly known as Lloyds, in Abington Street.
But senior staff within the company have said the firm would be looking to expand further in the town should more properties become available.
Chief executive, John Hutson, said: "We have always enjoyed good success with our pubs and bars in Northampton and we have kept our eyes open for the opportunity to expand should the right venue become available.
"The old Yates's venue provided us with that opportunity and we have been able to redevelop the building and reopen quickly.
"It gives the people of Northampton another place in which to socialise but we will always be in the market for other venues as well should they become available."
Wetherspoon's – which also own pubs in Daventry, Kettering, Wellingborough and Market Harborough – is known within the entertainment industry for its cut-price alcohol and food deals and the firm hopes its latest opening will cash-in on revellers hit by the credit crunch looking for a cheap night out.
The Ridings has been hit by a number of high-profile closures in recent years, with Yates's and nearby restaurant Boca falling victim to the far-reaching impact of the recession.
Northampton Borough Council cabinet member for regeneration Richard Church (Lib Dem, Kingsley) said: "At a time when a number of pubs are closing it is good to see money being invested in refitting and reopening venues in Northampton.
"It would be nice to see more locally owned and managed pubs but Yates's are a chain and Wetherspoon's are a chain so there's no real change. I would much rather seeing the venue open and creating jobs than standing empty."
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Friday 10 February 2012
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