Full list of Wetherspoons closing as 32 pubs put up for sale

Pub chain warns it could lose £30m due to rising staff wages and repairs

Pub chain JD Wetherspoon is selling 32 pubs after previously warning that it could lose £30m due to rising staff wages and repairs.

The chain said it understands customers will be disappointed with the decision and the listed pubs will operate as Wetherspoon outlets until they are sold.

In a statement, company spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “On occasion, Wetherspoon does put some of its pubs up for sale. This is a commercial decision. We understand that customers and staff will be disappointed with it.

“The pubs will continue to operate as Wetherspoon outlets until they are sold.”

The venues are being marketed by commercial property specialists CBRE and Savills.

“The excellent mix of locations in this portfolio is rarely seen in the market. With more than half of the portfolio located in London and the south-east and other strong locations in the south-west, Midlands and the north of England we believe the pubs represent an excellent opportunity for existing pub operators and new entrants,” CBRE senior director Tony Hall said.

Paul Breen, director at Savills commented: “Following the success of our earlier marketing campaigns for JD Wetherspoon we are delighted to be launching these 32 properties to the market.

“These venues are well configured and fitted to a high standard which will make them appealing to a broad range of potential buyers.”

London sees the highest number of losses with nine pubs set to be closed – including pubs in popular locations such as Islington and Battersea. While other pubs in major towns and cities such as Southampton and Middlesbrough are also closing.

In July, the company warned of devastating losses due to hiked wages and slow sales recovery after Covid lockdowns.

Boss and founder Tim Martin said: “When Covid-19 struck in early 2020, most governments, with the exception of Sweden, abandoned their WHO-approved pandemic plans and copied China's approach by ‘locking down.’

“There have been many unintended consequences. Large numbers of people, as has been widely reported, have left the workforce, mainly through early retirement.

“Many people now work from home, rather than from offices, which has had a significant impact on transport and hospitality businesses, among other examples.

“Wetherspoon has tried to take a long-term approach to these issues, investing heavily in the workforce, in buildings, in marketing and in contracts with landlords and suppliers, which will hopefully create a solid base for future growth. The company remains cautiously optimistic about future prospects.”

Full list of pubs set to close

Barnsley – Silkstone Inn

Beaconsfield – Hope & Champion

Bexleyheath – Wrong ‘Un

Bournemouth – Christopher Creeke

Cheltenham – Bank House

Durham – Water House

Halifax – Percy Shaw

Hanham – Jolly Sailor

Hove – Cliftonville Inn

London Battersea – Asparagus

London East Ham – Miller's Well

London Eltham – Bankers Draft

London Forest Gate – Hudson Bay

London Forest Hill – Capitol

London Harrow – Moon on the Hill

London Hornsey – Toll Gate

London Holborn – Penderel's Oak

London Islington – Angel

London Palmers Green – Alfred Herring

Loughborough – Moon & Bell

Loughton – Last Post

Mansfield – Widow Frost

Middlesborough – Resolution

Purley – Foxley Hatch

Redditch – Rising Sun

Sevenoaks - Sennockian

Southampton – Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis

Stafford – Butler's Bell

Watford – Colombia Press

West Bromwich – Billiard Hall

Willenhall – Malthouse

Wirral – John Masefield