JD Wetherspoon acquires Grand Canal Dock pub

Pub group JD Wetherspoon has added to its Irish portfolio with the acquisition of HQ Bar and Restaurant at the Grand Canal, Dublin, for an undisclosed sum.

The property, on Hanover Quay, was put up for sale in June of this year with a guide price of €5.5 million.

Located adjacent to the five-star Marker Hotel, the property was being offered for sale with the opportunity to enter a long-term lease with the then owner-occupier Fulminis Limited.

Wetherspoon has yet to decide whether to open a pub immediately or to redevelop the property, which extends to 854sq m (9,192sq ft) split over two levels. Previously HQ Gastro Bar occupied 264sq m (2,842sq ft) of the ground floor.

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Superb location

The British pub chain has one pub in Dublin city centre – the Silver Penny on Abbey Street – and is developing a pub and 89-bedroom hotel in the city, which is set to open next year. It also runs pubs in Blackrock, Blanchardstown, Swords and Cork and has sites in Waterford and Galway, which are due to be redeveloped.

"We are delighted to have purchased the HQ Bar and Restaurant and look forward to reopening it as a Wetherspoon," the company's chairman, Tim Martin, said. "It is an excellent property in a superb location and we are confident that it will enjoy great success as a Wetherspoon pub."