Wetherspoons extends its 99p pint offer until March 2022

A member of staff pulls a pint in a Wetherspoons pub (AFP via Getty Images)

Wetherspoons is extending its offer of serving pints for just 99p for a further three months.

Last month, the pub chain announced that it would be serving three different alcoholic options for less than £1 throughout the month of November.

This included Ruddles Best ale (or Greene King IPA), 25ml of Bell’s whisky with a mixer, or a bottle of Beck’s for 99p each.

In an update on Friday, 19 November, Wetherspoons said the offer – available in 671 of its pubs across the UK – will be extended until the end of February 2022.

Additionally, 750 Wetherspoons pubs will be selling mini bottles of Prosecco at a discounted price of £2.99 and full-size bottles at £10.99.

The price drop will also extend to non-alcoholic beverages with hot drinks including coffee, tea and hot chocolate being sold for 99p at all Wetherspoons pubs.

“Our pubs are known for their excellent choice of drinks at value-for-money-prices at all times. We are delighted to be extending our lower prices until the end of February,” said Tim Martin, Wetherspoons chairman.

The offer of 99p alcoholic beverages will only apply to pub chains in England due to minimum unit price restrictions in Scotland and Wales, which will bring the price up to £1.10.

The news comes as Wetherspoons announced on 10 November that it would also be cutting the costs of many of its meals.

This includes some of its deli meals such as paninis and wraps, as well as pub classics like fish and chips.

While the chain did not specify why it has slashed prices, it is one of many businesses in the hospitality sector that reported a loss during the pandemic.

Earlier this month, it announced that sales for the 15-week period to November 7 were 8.9 per cent down on levels from the same period in 2019, despite all Covid-19 restrictions having lifted in July.

Wetherspoons said sales of traditional draught ales had declined by 30 per cent and stout sales by 20 per cent – both options which are typically bought by its older clientele.

However, it reported a 45 per cent rise in sales of cocktails and a 17 per cent increase in sales of vodka as young people returned to the chain.

“With no music in Wetherspoon pubs, apart from 46 trading as Lloyds, a material proportion of our trade comes from older customers, some of whom have visited pubs less frequently in recent times,” Martin said.

“There have been no outbreaks of Covid-19, as defined by the health authorities, among customers in Wetherspoon pubs. However, some customers have been understandably cautious. Improvement in trade will therefore depend, to some extent, on the outlook for the Covid-19 virus.”