Wetherspoon's boss Tim Martin accuses Greene King of being "frightened of competition"

09-Apr-2013 - Last updated on 10-Apr-2013 at 08:16 GMT

JD Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin has accused Greene King of being “frightened of competition” and wanting to “preserve a local monopoly” by seeking a judicial review against a planned Wetherspoon pub in Stirling.

The judicial review, set for later this year, relates to Stirling Licensing Board’s decision to grant Wetherspoons a licence for a disused shop in the town centre. JD Wetherspoon said it planned to invest more than £1.5m on the planned pub in Spittal Street and create 50 full and part-time jobs.

Martin said: “I do not feel it is right for competitors to try and prevent Wetherspoon from opening a new pub.

“It is a throwback to the 1980s when the major brewers tried to stop Wetherspoon and other companies opening up close to their pubs.

“These attempts to stifle competition were important factors in the investigation of the industry by the Monopolies Commission more than 20 years ago.

“It seems to me that Greene King are frightened of competition and are seeking to preserve a local monopoly in Stirling.

“The strange thing is that Wetherspoon is Greene King’s biggest customer and we have traded with them for more than 30 years, so we are more than a little surprised by their actions.”

Greene King declined to comment.