Looks like work has started on the former Post Office. There were plans to turn part of it into flats, and presumably the bottom would be retail or catering.
Not much to see behind the whited windows and the circus posters, that I can make out, apart from some roof supports. Somebody commented a couple of days back that it might be a Wetherspoon. The Herald are even running a poll asking “Would you plan to convert the former post office in High Street, Abingdon, into a branch of the JD Wetherspoon pub chain?”
Wetherspoons tried, and failed to acquire the building Ask are now in. That was some years ago. Back then the Wetherspoons planning application was turned down. Pubs – most owned by Greene King – did lobby against.
see the latest from the Herald
http://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/hsabingdonnews/8910517.Pub_chain_interest_in_former_town_PO/
see the latest from the Herald
If it happens it can only be good news for Abingdon,
No comment from Wetherspoons in the story though?
I imagine the Greene king mafia will have there say again,like they did with the Ask building.
Somebody once told me Ask is owned by or shares the same parent company as weatherspoons. Dont know if there is any truth in it? Would be good to see one here though. It would certainly shake things up a bit!
Ask is owned by Gondola holdings which also run pizzaexpress and zizzis plus others,
Wetherspoons stands on its own as far as i can see.
Gondola holdings are subsequently owned by Cinven
Cinven is owned by David Icke.
It’ll be good to have another outlet for decent ale. I’ll make sure I still go to the Kings Head, the Stocks and other pubs that make an effort on the ale front too!
Nice to see the post office being converted into something useful, although if I were weatherspoon I’d be looking at getting the Nags Head. With that garden and location, if run right it could be a gold mine. That said, the rent is ridiculous, so maybe the post office is the next best option.
Cinven buys companies, grows them for about five years, then sells them on (which they will do with Gondola).
JD Wetherspoon’s only do pubs and bars. There is no connection between them and Ask. The guy who founded it with one pub in 1979 still runs the company…