A number of J D Wetherspoons pubs could be closing this year. It comes as the popular chain closed 26 of its venues across the nation between 2023 and 2024. However, the company is sticking with its goal of opening many new branches across the UK, with new pubs set to open this year.
Wetherspoons had revealed last month that it plans to open 15 new pubs following a 15% rise in sales in the 13 weeks ahead of April. Two new locations in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and London Waterloo have already opened, six new sites have been confirmed to open this year and the remaining nine are set for opening in July next year.
In 2024, Spoons opened four franchised pubs with Haven Holiday Parks - The Red Rocks, Devon Cliffs, Devon; The Humber Stone, Cleethorpes Beach, Lincolnshire; The London Stone, Kent Coast, Kent and The Sir Thomas Haggerston, Haggerston Castle, Northumberland.
Sir Tim Martin, founder and chairman of the chain, said in a trading update: "The company's main ambition, as always, is to improve its appeal to staff and customers.
"Bearing in mind that recent trading has been helped by favourable weather, the company anticipates a reasonable outcome for the financial year, notwithstanding previously reported wage and tax increase of approximately £1.2 million per week."
In the last 10 years, the number of Wetherspoons pubs have gone down from 950 to 795. The company sold or gave up the lease on 30 pubs in 2024, after closing 41 locations the prior year.
A significant number of the recent closures are for "smaller and older" venues, or where there is another branch nearby, Weatherspoon said. Any pubs under offer are not guaranteed to be sold and could remain open if the sale falls through, Metro reports.
For example, The George in Wanstead closed in October but was "rescued" by Urban Pubs and Bars chain and reopened as The George & Dragon.
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