Which Wetherspoons are closing and why? Full list of their 22 pubs up for sale

Is your Wetherspoons closing? The popular pub chain known for cheap pints and the legendary Wetherspoons breakfast has confirmed that 22 venues are under threat of closure.

Another nine pubs are also ‘available’ and could be put up for sale. The chain has already closed 28 of its 827 drinking venues in the UK. The ones that are gone were older, smaller or had a second Wetherspoons in the area, the company said in a trading update.

Wetherspoons chairman Tim Martin said: “As a result of a continued improvement in sales and a slightly reduced expectation for cost increases, for example energy costs, the company anticipates an improved outcome for the next financial year."

It’s a sad state of affairs for the hospitality industry, and a similar story for other big British chains including Prezzo, M&S and Lloyd’s Pharmacy, which all closed stores this year.

Read on to find out if it’s last orders for your local. 

Which Wetherspoons are closing? Full list

Pubs ‘under offer’ and at risk of closing:

• Coronet, London (Holloway)

• The Alfred Herring, London (Palmers Green)

• The Cross Keys, Peebles
• The Widow Frost, Mansfield
• The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh
• General Sir Redvers Buller, Crediton
• The Butlers Bell, Stafford
• 
The Percy Shaw, Halifax
• Foxley Hatch, Purley 
• Asparagus, London (Battersea)
• Millers Well, East Ham
• Hudson Bay, London (Forest Gate)
• Capitol, London (Forest Hill)
• The Bankers Draft, Eltham

Also, The Nightjar in Ferndown in Dorset is due to close and it is not having its lease renewed in September.

Pubs said to be ‘available’:

• Wrong ‘Un, Bexleyheath
• Jolly Sailor, Hanham
• The Rising Sun, Redditch
• Sennockian, Sevenoaks
• Resolution, Middlesbrough
• Moon on the Hill, Harrow
• The Sir John Arderne, Newark
• Lord Arthur Lee, Fareham
• Plough & Harrow, London (Hammersmith)

Pubs already sold:

• The John Masefield, New Ferry
• Angel, London (Islington)
• The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
• The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
• Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
• The John Masefield, New Ferry
• North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
• The Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow
• The Knight's Templar, London
• Christopher Creeke, Bournemouth
• The Water House, Durham
• Thomas Leaper, Derby
• Cliftonville, Hove
• The Toll Gate, London (Harringey)
• Last Post, Loughton
• Harvest Moon, Orpington
• Alexander Bain, Wick
• The Colombia Press, London (Watford)
• The Malthouse, Willenhall
• Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
• Moon on the Square, Basildon
• Coal Orchard, Taunton
• Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
• Wild Rose, Bootle
• Edmund Halley, Lee Green
• The Willow Grove, Southport
• Postal Order, Worcester
• The Worlds Inn, London (Romford)

Which city is going to be most affected by the closures? 

London is most affected by the Wetherspoons closures, with five pubs in popular locations including Battersea and Forest Hill due to close, and four more venues ‘available’ for sale.

Outside of the capital, Wetherspoon closures this year will hit seaside favourite Dorset and northern pubs in Halifax and Mansfield. There are also pubs ‘available’ for sale in Middlesbrough, Redditch and Newark.

In 2022 Wetherspoons closed The Skylark In South End and The Milan Bar in Croydon. Fellow Croydon pub Foxley Hatch also shut its doors for the last time. Elsewhere in London, The Edmund Halley in Lewisham ceased trading.

Why are Wetherspoons closing some pubs?

J D Wetherspoons company spokesman Eddie Gershon confirmed that Wetherspoon pub closures are down to a "commercial decision". "We understand that customers and staff will be disappointed with it," he added.

It's thought that staffing issues and a slump in trade are factors that could have contributed to this decision. In July 2022, it was reported that the company were expecting a £30 million loss, with data suggesting sales of draught ales, ciders and lagers were down by 8% annually.

The chain's founder Tim Martin said that Wetherspoons and the wider hospitality sector were still dealing with these after-effects from the Coronavirus pandemic.

"There have been many unintended consequences," he said of the lockdowns and Covid-19 era. "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," he continued.

Martin also shared that the chain had been "investing heavily" in Wetherspoons's work force, properties and relationships with their landlords and suppliers. The company have spent around £99 million on repair costs this year alone - an increase from the £76.9 million spent between 2018-2019.

Nevertheless, "The company remains cautiously optimistic about future prospects," added Martin.

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