JD Wetherspoon: number of pubs in the UK and Ireland 2007-2021
JD Wetherspoon in numbers
Along with the increase in outlets over the period, JD Wetherspoon enjoyed an increase in the average weekly sales per pub. Each pub generated average weekly sales of over 46.5 thousand British pounds in 2020, around 16.4 thousand pounds higher than the average weekly sales of Wetherspoon pubs ten years earlier. These sales also saw the company increase revenues significantly, generating 1.8 billion British pounds in 2019. This, however, decreased in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, with revenues dropping approximately half a million British pounds. Despite operating fewer outlets, revenues achieved in 2019 remain higher than those of 2015, when the number of operating pubs was at its peak. Bar sales still contribute the most revenue for Wetherspoon, although the food share of sales has increased. Food sales accounted for 35 percent of revenue in 2019, while machines and other revenue streams made up four percent.
Wetherspoon defies national trend
JD Wetherspoon’s increased number of premises comes in the face of a declining number of pubs in the UK over a similar period. Approximately 54.8 thousand pubs operated in the UK during 2008, a number that would drop to just 47.6 in 2018, a total loss of 13.1 percent.