JD Wetherspoon PLC (LON:JDW) is to shun French champagne and German beer and will sell more British and non-European drinks in another example of its chairman’s Brexit fervour.
In a statement on the pub operator’s website, Wetherspoon’s chairman Tim Martin, who campaigned in favour of Britain's exit from the European Union, said the move was part of a push to make the group more competitive ahead of the country's planned departure from the EU's customs union.
READ: Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin urges Theresa May to leave EU customs union
Martin said: "The EU's customs union is a protectionist system which is widely misunderstood. It imposes tariffs on the 93% of the world that is not in the EU, keeping prices high for UK consumers."
He added: “There will be an inevitable transfer of trade post-Brexit to countries outside the EU, which will reduce prices in shops and pubs. The products we are now introducing are at lower prices than the EU products they are replacing.”
Wetherspoon’s said it will replace champagne with sparkling wines from the UK and others from Australia, and will serve wheat beers from Britain and the United States rather than Germany.
The firm will continue to serve Kopparberg cider from Sweden. Kopparberg has confirmed that it will be producing its cider in the UK post-Brexit.