Every pub and restaurant in Forfar will feel the pinch if the burgh’s first superpub opens its doors in the town, it has been claimed.
Businessman and pub owner Alan Hampton said he believes the move will undercut businesses but only time will tell just how big the impact will be.
On Tuesday, councillors agreed to proceed with negotiations with JD Wetherspoon for the purchase of premises at the Cross, which includes the office of the Angus provost.
Mr Hampton, who owns nearby Bar 10, said: “Everybody will be hit it goes without saying. I wouldn’t have thought that the municipal buildings of Forfar were for sale but obviously they are.
“Their business will be taking off all the other bars and restaurants in the town and my job as a pub owner is to make sure that as small a portion as possible is taken off me.
“If you think about it logically, the business that is there will be spread around.”
JD Wetherspoon operate more than 900 outlets in Britain, including the Corn Exchange in Arbroath.
The company recently completed a £2.23 million project to revamp Jolly’s Hotel in Broughty Ferry.
Mr Hampton added: “If you look at what happened when they came into Broughty Ferry it hits everybody.
“It also flies in the face of the safe drinking messages from the Scottish Government when you are punting out pints at £2 a time.”
When asked for comment, Councillor Alex King, who is chairman of Angus Council’s civic licensing committee, said: “As it was a confidential meeting…I am not prepared to comment further.”
Alan Lawson, chairman of the Tayside branch of the Campaign for Real Ale, said an increase in the town’s beer offerings would be good for CAMRA members though he expressed concerns at the impact on other pubs in Forfar.
He said: “JD Wetherspoon pubs usually put on a good selection of ales and serve them in good condition.
“However, the other side of the coin is that because JD Wetherspoon is such a large and powerful company they can force down the prices they pay for beers then sell them a lot cheaper than the market rate.
“This can make things very difficult for small, independent publicans. They argue that Wetherspoons entering a town encourages other pubs to up their game and to an extent that is true.
“But the difference in price can be so great up to £1 a pint cheaper that there is a limit to what the smaller pubs can do to compete.”
It is understood the firm, which has also entered into the hotel market, has looked at several large sites in the town over the past decade.
One of the first sites earmarked for takeover was the former Royal Hotel, which closed its doors in June 2010, leaving the prominent town centre building lying empty.
However, JD Wetherspoon never officially confirmed its interest in the site, due to a policy of not commenting on individual cases, and no official bid was ever made.
There were reports the chain’s interest was piqued by the potential of buying David Irons and Sons Ltd, one of the town’s oldest remaining businesses, which closed in June.
The family turned down a higher bid by the firm at that time.