A détente between JD Wetherspoon and Heineken has emerged after the UK pub chain said it will not offer the biggest-selling lager in Ireland in its new outlet in Dún Laoghaire.
Wetherspoon says Heineken demanded personal guarantees from chief executive John Hutson in order to supply any other products to its newest Irish outlet which the Dutch firm may wish to push in the future.
In response to what it described as "obstructive" demands, the chain has discontinued entirely selling Heineken and Murphy’s stout across its entire network of pubs.
Wetherspoon has invested nearly €4 million purchasing and revamping the Dún Laoghaire venue, which is part of the Pavilion Theatre complex overlooking Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
"We have been trading with Heineken for 35 years and they have never requested personal guarantees before," Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin was quoted as saying disappointedly in the Irish Times.
"It’s obstructive to do so now, especially when we made record profits of around £80 million last year," he added.
"The refusal to supply Heineken lager and Murphy’s just before the opening of our new pub in Dún Laoghaire, which represents an investment by us of nearly €4 million, is unacceptable and hard to understand."
The new Forty Foot pub, which is on two floors, intends to specialise in selling real ales and craft beers.
