Overview
- Like-for-like sales rose 3.7% in the 14 weeks to November 2, with bar sales up 5.7% and hotel bookings down 6.3%.
- Chairman Sir Tim Martin said a 10% wage increase would add roughly 15p to the price of a pub pint compared with about 1.5p in a supermarket.
- Wetherspoon said it is slightly more cautious for the rest of the year due to uncertainty ahead of the Chancellor’s November 26 Budget.
- Industry figures warned that further fiscal pressure could accelerate pub insolvencies and threaten jobs across hospitality, with UKHospitality flagging potential impacts on 111,000 roles.
- The group continues to expand, operating nearly 800 pubs with about 42,100 staff and planning up to 15 new openings this year after four launched so far.