07 January 2024 , 07:00
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Wetherspoon pub closures are set to continue into 2024 with the first shutting its doors for good today.
The Percy Shaw pub at Broad Street Plaza in Halifax will be welcoming customers for the final time today (January 7) before shutting at midnight tonight. The closure comes as no surprise as the pub was put up for sale in September 2022. A statement released by Wetherspoon spokesperson Eddie Gershon confirmed the closure date and thanked loyal staff for all their hard work and customers for their dedication over the years.
The statement also confirmed that all staff currently working at the Wetherspoon site have been offered jobs at other branches in the region. However, locals don't need to be too disappointed as another boozer will be taking place. The Percy Shaw has been bought by new independent owners Black Star Pubs who are hoping to open the pub just eight days after the closure this Sunday on Monday, January 15 according to reports from the Halifax Courier.
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According to reports, the new owners said the name of the pub will remain as The Percy Shaw as a nod to the Halifax-born inventor who created reflective road studs, or "cat’s eyes" in 1934. Punters will also be chuffed to hear that Black Star pledges to keep prices “the same or lower” and keep offering a similar food menu to now.
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A spokesperson for Black Star told the Halifax Courier that it was recruiting staff for the new pub back in December and that it was planning to host a "closing party" on its final day as a Wetherspoon to "give the Percy staff a great send off".
Wetherspoon has closed a number of pubs over the last year after putting up 30 for sale in September 2022. At the time, the pub chain said the decision to sell the sites was a "commercial one" and denied that the chain was facing financial woes. Just last month the pub chain closed its north London branch the Coronet. This site was also purchased by new owners and is set to remain as a public house after a "delicate and sensitive renovation."