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Wetherspoon fans are in for a treat as the popular pub chain announces plans to open 13 new outlets across the UK this year. With an existing portfolio of 796 venues, Wetherspoon is on track to surpass the 800 mark by the end of the year.
Already, two new pubs have been unveiled this year in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and at London Waterloo station. The company aims to launch seven more across the UK before summer arrives, with locations including Bath, London, and Manchester.
Furthermore, four additional pubs are scheduled to open at Haven Holiday Parks, increasing the total number of franchises to seven. This follows Wetherspoons’ announcement last January about its first pub at a Haven holiday park.
The Five Stones at Primrose Valley, Haven’s largest Yorkshire park, opened in March. The expanded agreement will see Wetherspoons extend its reach into Lincolnshire, Devon, Kent, and Northumberland, with these pubs expected to be up and running by spring 2025.
Here’s the full list of Wetherspoons pubs set to open this year:
- Manchester Airport – Terminal Two
- Fulham – Fulham Broadway Station
- Bath – George Street
- Beaconsfield – Station Road
- Wetherby – High Street
- Tooley Street – London Bridge
- Fareham – Whiteley shopping centre
- Cleethorpes Beach – Lincolnshire
- Devon Cliffs – Devon
- Kent Coast – Kent
- Haggerston Castle – Northumberland
- Marlow, Buckinghamshire (already open)
- London Waterloo station (already open)
JD Wetherspoon’s boss has called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to cut taxes on pub food in light of rising costs due to the Budget. The hospitality giant reported improved half-year sales, even as it sold off more pub properties.
Wetherspoon’s chairman, Tim Martin, has warned of a hefty £60 million increase in labour costs expected in April due to rising national insurance and minimum wage. He described the situation as “reasonable” yet highlighted that forecasting future performance is “difficult” with impending tax and wage increases.
In light of this, Mr Martin has renewed his call for VAT equality between food served in pubs and restaurants and that offered by supermarkets – where the latter enjoys zero VAT rates, allowing them to undercut pub beer prices significantly. “This tax advantage allows supermarkets to subsidise the price of beer they sell,” he pointed out.
The disparity, according to him, could mean more supermarkets and fewer pubs if not addressed. Hence, he’s urging Sir Keir Starmer to tackle this issue for fairer taxation and to avoid favouring mundane home gatherings over vibrant pub life.
The announcement comes as Wetherspoon enjoys escalating sales, disclosing a 5.1% year-on-year increase in like-for-like sales over the last 25 weeks up to January 19. Food sales were particularly solid, rising by 5.6%, while bar sales also fared well with a 4.5% uptick, softening the impact from a 6.5% slump in hotel room revenues.
Wetherspoon experienced a significant sales increase of 6.1% during the festive season, spanning from December 16 to January 5. Although this growth was notable, it fell short compared to its competitors, Marston’s and Young’s.
The pub chain reduced its portfolio to 796 pubs after selling off six locations while introducing two new ones. Julie Palmer, partner at Begbies Traynor, observed: “After an impressive performance for most of 2024, it seems the mood music has changed at JD Wetherspoon, as it delivered a lacklustre Christmas performance that lagged behind peers and highlights a greater sense of uncertainty as we enter 2025.”
