Pub Group JD Wetherspoon Plans up to 25 New Bars as First-Quarter Sales Rise

JD Wetherspoon plans to open up to 25 more pubs during the current financial year after reporting an 8.2 per cent increase in like-for-like sales, although growth has slowed in recent weeks.

The expansion will include five to 10 managed pubs and 10 to 15 franchised venues, The Independent reported. The group already operates 797 managed pubs and 25 franchises, with the current financial year running to 1 August 2027.

Meanwhile, Reuters reported on 4 November 2026 that Wetherspoon remained comfortable with market expectations for the year despite the recent slowdown in sales growth.

Bar Sales Lead the Increase

Sales at comparable venues rose 8.2 per cent in the 14 weeks to 1 November 2026, covering the first quarter and an additional week. Bar sales increased 9.4 per cent, outpacing the 6.8 per cent rise in food sales.

Total sales grew 9.1 per cent, while revenue from hotel rooms fell 1.4 per cent, according to figures reported by ShareCast.

The pace of growth eased as the period progressed. Like-for-like sales increased 7.5 per cent over the latest five weeks, compared with 8.6 per cent during the preceding nine weeks.

Chairman Tim Martin said, 'The company has had a good start to the financial year.'

He cautioned that three quarters remained and that profit forecasts depended heavily on the strength of future sales growth.

Market expectations for the 53-week financial year stand at £76.4 million in profits. Reuters reported that Wetherspoon remained comfortable with the analysts' consensus estimate.

The Independent also reported that pre-tax profits had fallen 28 per cent to £58.6 million in the previous 52-week financial year. However, this figure should be distinguished from the £77.7 million adjusted profit reported for FY2026 by Reuters, as the two figures represent different accounting measures. Rising staffing and other costs had weighed on the company's profitability despite increased sales.

London, Edinburgh and Barcelona Await Openings

JD Wetherspoon's official website lists five forthcoming openings, beginning with Piccadilly Hall at the Trocadero, 30 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, on 17 November 2026.

Wellers Entire is scheduled to follow on 8 December 2026 at 16 Hill Avenue in Amersham. In Edinburgh, The William Chambers is due to open at 30a Chambers Street on 26 January 2027.

The group also lists Sant Jordi at Barcelona Airport for February 2027. The venue will be located in Terminal 1's airside Schengen area.

The Benjamin Franklin, at 11 Strand near Charing Cross in London, is scheduled to open on 2 March 2027.

These planned openings follow six managed pub launches already completed during the financial year, including sites at Manchester and Heathrow airports, Crewe, Ferndown, Dibden Purlieu and Kempston, according to The Independent.

Martin Challenges the Cost Gap With Supermarkets

Alongside its expansion plans, JD Wetherspoon renewed its argument that rising labour costs place a heavier burden on pubs than supermarkets, The Herald reported.

The company estimated the labour cost associated with a pub pint at £1.68, compared with approximately 15p for a supermarket pint. These figures represent estimated staffing costs attributed to each pint, rather than the drinks' selling prices.

The calculations were presented as part of the company's comparison of labour costs and beer prices in the two sectors.

Martin argued that the difference had contributed to a widening price gap between drinking in pubs and buying beer from supermarkets. He linked this trend to pubs losing half their beer sales to supermarkets since the millennium.