Wetherspoon is set to open its first pub in mainland Europe, with a new venue at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández airport scheduled to launch in January. The pub, named Castell de Santa Bàrbera, will serve alcohol from 6am daily and offer an outdoor terrace for travellers.
The move marks the chain's first expansion into continental Europe, nearly a decade after founder Tim Martin celebrated the UK's vote to leave the EU. Martin said the company aims to open more overseas pubs in the coming months and years, including at other airports.
The 93-square-metre pub will be smaller than many of Wetherspoon's UK venues but will include an external terrace. It will serve the chain's usual fare such as fry-ups, burgers and pizzas, alongside local dishes including garlic prawns and Spanish omelette.
Wetherspoon already operates pubs in the Republic of Ireland but has never before served the continental European market. The company opened its first airport pub in 1992 at Heathrow Terminal 4 and now has venues at several UK airports.
The expansion comes after Wetherspoon reported slowing sales growth in the first 14 weeks of its financial year, though revenues still rose by 3.7% over the period.
