JD Wetherspoon has confirmed it is opening two new pubs in the UK before Christmas. The pub chain, which operates more than 800 locations across the country, is set to expand its UK footprint with the openings, with several new pubs also lined up to open in the new year, including a new site based in Spain.
Two openings before Christmas
Wetherspoon has confirmed the following two pubs will open to customers at the following locations before Christmas:
- Piccadilly Hall, Piccadilly - opening Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- The Wellers Entire, Amersham - opening Tuesday, December 8, 2026
The company branched out overseas for the first time earlier this year with the opening of the Castell de Santa Barbera at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport in February, allowing holidaymakers to enjoy a taste of Britain before flying home. Founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin said the move marked the start of the chain’s expansion overseas, and now another Spanish site is just months away from opening.
Three more openings in early 2027
Wetherspoon is also opening the following three new pubs in early 2027:
- The William Chambers, Edinburgh - opening Tuesday, January 26, 2027
- Sant Jordi, Barcelona Airport - opening February 2027, Terminal 1 (Airside - Schengen Area)
- The Benjamin Franklin, Charing Cross, London - opening Tuesday, March 2, 2027
The upcoming pub, named Sant Jordi, will be based in Terminal 1 at Barcelona Airport and is due to open in February 2027. This comes alongside two other UK openings in early 2027, with each new pub to have its own design, character and personality based on local history.
Profits set to plunge
The upcoming openings come as JD Wetherspoon has set the scene for lower-than-expected annual profits and results on Friday. The group alerted over profits in July after sales failed to match forecasts and saw the chain miss out on the World Cup and warm weather boost enjoyed by many of its rivals. The market is predicting full-year profits will plunge by more than a fifth after a disappointing year for the firm.
Wetherspoon said sales grew by 4% in the three months to July 19 after the much-hoped-for summer bounce failed to materialise. Founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin said the “marginally” slower than expected sales, when combined with soaring costs across the board, were set to see profits miss market forecasts. Sir Tim once again flagged “higher costs in the areas of food, labour, repairs, energy and business rates”.
The firm previously said it was facing £60 million of extra costs linked to wage increases and national insurance contributions for the year. All this is set to see pre-tax profits tumble 21% to £64.6 million for the year to July 26, on revenues of around £2.2 billion, according to Hargreaves Lansdown.
Derren Nathan, head of equity analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “With margins under pressure, markets will want reassurance that cash generation is strong enough to support future returns, including any dividend and buyback plans. Neither of which is guaranteed.”
