Pub chain to open first Isle of Man branch

A large UK-based pub chain is set to open its first branch on the Isle of Man.

JD Wetherspoon has confirmed it will open the Conister Arms on the site currently occupied by 1886 Bar and Grill on Regent Street in Douglas on 14 May.

Chief executive of Thompson Holdings, which owns 1886, James Thompson said existing staff had been offered roles at the new pub and about 120 other staff would also be recruited.

The four-storey venue, which sits just off the main shopping street in the Manx capital, has a capacity of 725.

Mr Thompson said the move was "about the future of our high street" as the island's hospitality sector was "on its knees".

He said the Manx hospitality sector was "on its knees" and businesses were closing but the government could not "afford to help us".

Hospitality had become "unaffordable for too many" and the "only real solution" was to "get prices down and keep them down".

In a statement confirming the takeover, the chain said its pubs had "proven popular" in the UK and Ireland, and it was "confident that the new pub will appeal to a wide range of customers and be an asset to the social scene in Douglas", it added.

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