Wetherspoon has confirmed the locations of 12 new pubs set to open before July, including its first ever pub in continental Europe. The new venue, named Castell de Santa Bàrbera, will open at Alicante Airport in Spain on 9 February, operating daily from 6am to 9pm, with nearly 1,000 square feet of customer space and an external terrace.
Other openings include a 485-seater pub in Bath opening on 3 March, and four new pubs at Haven Holiday Park in Cornwall opening on 2 April. A new pub for Birmingham University students is scheduled for 25 May.
The expansion comes as Wetherspoon issued a profits warning, revealing costs rose by £45 million in the first half of its financial year due to rising energy, wages, repairs and business rates. Despite like-for-like sales growth of 6.1% in the 12 weeks to 18 January, the company said profits for the first half are likely to be lower year on year.
Founder and chairman Sir Tim Martin said: “Costs have been higher than anticipated, with energy, wages, repairs and business rates, for example, increasing by £45 million in the first 25 weeks. Profits in the first half are likely to be lower than the comparable period in the previous financial year.” He added that if current sales momentum continues, full-year trading results may be slightly below those achieved in 2024-25.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to unveil a package of relief for pubs, reportedly worth about £300 million, as the sector faces the end of coronavirus business rates relief in April and a new system for calculating business rates.
