Greene King slates JDW's 99p IPA deal

Greene King says it is "extremely disappointed" that JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is to sell its IPA for 99p.

JDW is selling Greene King IPA for 99p "indefinitely" from Monday 5 January as part of new discounts for 2009.

Greene King Brewing Company managing director Justin Adams said: "We were taken aback to hear about JD Wetherspoons' promotion.

"Legally, brewers like us have no controls over any prices that pub chains charge their customers. Explicitly, Greene King Brewing Company has no say over what JD Wetherspoon, or indeed any pub operator, decides to charge for its beer over the bar.

"That does not stop us from being extremely disappointed about JDW's decision to apply such hefty discounts to Greene King IPA. We are not funding the promotion or supporting this promotional tactic in any way.

"Over the years, we have consistently invested in keeping Greene King IPA special and are proud of its status as the leading cask ale brand.

"We strongly believe in the 'pulling power' of cask ale, given its craft, freshness and unique connection to the pub and believe Wetherspoons should be focusing on this to get people off their sofas, rather than focusing on price alone."

Asked about the profit generated from selling IPA for 99p, JD Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson told the MA on Friday morning: "There's some profit but it's a very good deal for customers.

"We didn't speak to Greene King about it (beforehand). There's no (price) support from Greene King. We're a very big customer of theirs and we're very supportive of other products of theirs."