JW Lees to create 50 jobs with Duttons expansion

JW LEES, the North West brewer and pub company will create around 50 jobs when it opens a second site for its Duttons brand in Manchester in June.~

Managing director William Lees-Jones said the Middleton-based company is excited about the prospects for the 7,000 sq ft unit on Albert Square opposite Manchester Town Hall.

Albert Square is undergoing something of a revival –  The Victorian Chop House Company recently opened the Albert Square Chop House in the historic Memorial Hall Building, while Piccolino is set to expand into the former Gusto site on the corner of Clarence Street.

Mr Lees-Jones said: “Duttons has performed really strongly for us in Chester and we have been looking for other locations for some time. Manchester is obviously a place we know well.

“The site (formerly Prezzo and before that Chez Gerard) has previously been a bit of a doomed location, but I am confident  we can make a really strong success of it.”

He described the Duttons concept as “a chameleon bar”, serving breakfasts, good quality tea and coffee all day, lunch and food and drink in the evening.

“It’s not a nightclub or a Michelin Star restaurant, but a friendly, informal location for good quality food and drink.”

In January, JW Lees agreed a £10m funding deal with Royal Bank of Scotland to expand its estate.

Mr Lees-Jones also welcomed the abolition of the Beer Duty Escalator in Wednesday’s budget, a move which he believes should encourage investment in the sector.