While store closures continue to be an issue for the UK economy, some brands like Wetherspoons are able to open new locations
Wetherspoons has revealed plans to open multiple new pubs across the UK in a win for Britain's high streets.
The pub and restaurant is set to roll out 15 new locations in the weeks to come after posting a notable surge in sales.
In the 13 weeks to April 27, Wetherspoons saw like-for-like sales at its pubs jump by 5.6 per cent, according to its latest financial results.
Thanks to this financial performance, the nation's most popular chain is doubling down on its expansion plans.
Already this year, Wetherspoons has opened two new locations in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and at London Waterloo station.
In 2025, the pub chain will launch 15 new sites with the locations of six of them already being confirmed.
The remaining nine Wetherspoons are being earmarked for opening by July 2026.
Last year, the company opened four new franchised pubs in partnership with Haven Holiday Parks.
Here is a list of the Wetherspoons pub locations that have been confirmed to open later this year:
Despite this financial success, Wetherspoons boss Sir Tim Martin has confirmed that the chain will be forced to raise the cost of a pint by 20p.
Martin blamed this hike on the Government's fiscal policies, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves raising the rate of National Insurance contributions for employers in last year's Autumn Budget.
He said: "It means pints in pubs are going to go up by on average 15p to 20p this month."
The British Beer and Pub Association has warned that the price of the average pint is forecast to exceed the £5 mark, a rise from the current average of £4.80.
Martin added: "The risk to the country is people either in the UK or coming from abroad will think that it’s too expensive to set up a business in the UK."
