Last orders? JD Wetherspoon puts 11 of its 822 pubs up for sale… so is YOUR favourite on the list?
- The latest closures will include branches in Chesterfield and Doncaster
- Last year Wetherspoons announced it was putting 32 pubs up for sale
JD Wetherspoon has put 11 more pubs up for sale – after closing down dozens of boozers over the past year.
The latest closures include branches in Chesterfield, Doncaster and Cardiff – however, they will remain open until a sale has been completed.
Last year Wetherspoons announced 32 of its pubs would go up for sale as the country was hit hard by rising costs brought on by high inflation.
However, new branches have been opening across the country, meaning Britons will not suffer too much from a lack of available outlets for a well-priced pint.
The popular chain – which has 822 pubs throughout the UK – is known for its cheap alcohol and food combo deals.
JD Wetherspoon has put 11 more pubs up for sale – after closing down dozens of boozers over the past year
The Ivor Davies in Cardiff is one of the latest 11 Wetherspoon pub to be closed as the company deals with rising costs linked to inflation
The Sir Norman Rae in Shipley, West Yorkshire is among the watering holes to be put up for sale in the pub chain’s latest round of changes
The Hain Line in St Ives, Cornwall is one of 11 ‘Spoons’ pubs to be put up for sale as the company contends with changing drinking habits following the coronavirus pandemic
The Regent in Kirkby-in-Ashfield in Nottinghamshire – one of 11 pubs put on the market by JD Wetherspoon in the latest shake-up of its portfolio
The Mockbeggar Hall in Moreton, Dorchester, is up for sale. This pub takes its name from nearby Leasowe Castle, which earned its nickname after becoming run down
Below is the full list of the pubs put up for sale – where you can find out whether your local is among those being axed:
- The Pontlottyn, Abertillery
- The Ivor Davies, Cardiff
- Spa Lane Vaults, Chesterfield
- The Gate House, Doncaster
- The Market Cross, Holywell
- The Regent, Kirkby in Ashfield
- The Mockbeggar Hall, Moreton
- The Hain Line, St Ives
- The Sir Norman Rae, Shipley
- The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
- The White Hart, Todmorden
This brings the total number of Wetherspoons pubs up for sale to 27 – although ten are under offer.
Boss Tim Martin has said customers are opting to stay at home and drink cheap supermarket beer instead of going out to their local pubs.
And speaking to Sky News yesterday, he welcomed the news that inflation had fallen unexpectedly to 6.7 percent in the year to August.
Mr Martin said: ‘Particularly in the pub world you are affected by inflation generally, not just the cost of the alcoholic drinks that you buy in – which are a relatively small proportion of pubs. It’s wages, energy etc.
‘So the pub world will be very happy that inflation is abating a bit and will hope it continues.’
The Sir Daniel Arms in Swindon, Wiltshire – named after a pub that itself was named after railway engineer Sir Daniel Gooch – is up for sale
The White Hart in Todmorden – one of 11 Wetherspoon pubs around the country to be put up for sale
The Gate House in Doncaster is also one of the Wetherspoon pubs closing down
The Market Cross in Holywell, Flintshire, is one of three Wetherspoon pubs in Wales to be put up for sale in the latest shake-up of its portfolio
Spa Lane Vaults in Chesterfield is also available for sale – meanwhile 15 pubs are listed as under offer
The Pontlottyn, Abertillery is another Welsh ‘Spoons’ that has gone on the market – named after the department store that the building once hosted
Boss Tim Martin has said customers are opting to stay at home and drink cheap supermarket beer instead of going out to their local pubs
Previously, he spoke about how pubs had struggled to recover after strict lockdown measures.
He said: ‘The aftermath of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions have been far more difficult than anyone thought. That is the picture for the whole pub and restaurant industry.
‘People thought that after lockdown there would be a boom in people suffering from cabin fever but, instead, it has almost been the opposite situation as people have got in the habit of staying in.
READ MORE: Wetherspoon slams ‘urban myth’ that it buys beer close to the sell-by date so it can sell cheaper pints
‘That’s the big thing that means sales are down on 2019. Things are improving now but it’s slow.’
In September last year, the chain announced it would be closing 32 of its pubs, branding it a ‘commercial’ decision as it started to face large bills.
The decision was made due to rising food and energy costs, as well as a lack of staff and expensive wages.
Below is the full list of branches that have been sold and closed in recent months:
- The John Masefield, New Ferry
- Angel, Islington
- The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
- The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
- Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
- The Colombia Press, Watford
- The Malthouse, Willenhall
- The John Masefield, New Ferry
- Thomas Leaper, Derby
- Cliftonville, Hove
- Tollgate, Harringay
- Last Post, Loughton
- Harvest Moon, Orpington
- Alexander Bain, Wick
- Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
- Moon on the Square, Basildon
- Coal Orchard, Taunton
- Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
- Wild Rose, Bootle
- Edmund Halley, Lee Green
- The Willow Grove, Southport
- Postal Order, Worcester
- North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
- The Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow
- The Knight’s Templar, London
- Christopher Creeke, Bournemouth
- The Water House, Durham
- The Widow Frost, Mansfield
- The Worlds Inn, Romford
- Hudson Bay, Forest Gate
- The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh
- The Bankers Draft, Eltham, London
- The Sir John Arderne, Newark
Last year Wetherspoons announced 32 of its pubs would go up for sale. Pictured: A Wetherspoons interior
The popular chain – which has 827 pubs throughout the UK – is known for its cheap alcohol and food combo deals
However, Wetherspoons has recently reopened The Square Peg in Birmingham and The Lord Palmerston in Southsea after a £1.5million refurbishment.
Pubs will also be developed and extended in Wakefield, Cardiff and Glasgow.
Wetherspoons said in a statement: ‘Wetherspoon confirms that it has decided to sell 11 of its 822 pubs which it has put on the market through property agents, Savills and CBRE.
‘Details of the properties can be found on www.jdwdisposals.co.uk. The pubs are mainly freehold properties with one leasehold property. The pubs will remain open pending their sale.
‘Wetherspoon is continuing to invest in its business and has recently reopened The Square Peg in Birmingham and The Lord Palmerston in Southsea, after major refurbishment, costing approximately £1.5 million.
‘The company is also currently redeveloping and extending pubs in Wakefield, central Cardiff and central Glasgow at a total cost of approximately £8 million.
‘The company is also proceeding with plans for a number of new pubs and hotels as well as major upgrades to existing pubs involving a total investment of around £100 million.’
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