JD Wetherspoon has reported like-for-like sales during the nine weeks to 27 September rose 8.6 percent year-on-year, after the pub company made a significant investment in expanding and improving its beer gardens and outdoor seating.
JD Wetherspoon turned around its traditional decline in summer trading this year by investing in beer gardens and outdoor furniture, with the nine weeks to 27 September delivering an 8.6 percent uptick in like-for-like sales.
The announcement comes on the back of a positive year for the pub group, which recently reported a 4.2 percent increase in sales for the year to 26 July, pushing revenue up 5.2 percent to a record £2.2bn.
“The company has made substantial progress in recent years in increasing the number of beer gardens and outside seating areas,” said chair Tim Martin. “This has resulted in sales improving in hot weather whereas, in the past, sales sometimes declined.”
“The latest ‘NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker’, for August 2026, said industry like-for-like sales were +0.8 percent. During this period, Wetherspoon like-for-like sales were +7.7 percent. This was the 48th month in a row that Wetherspoon has outperformed the tracker.”
The increase in sales included a 7.4 percent increase across machine revenue at the company’s 792 pubs, and 6.1 percent increase for drinks, while food sales and room sales were up 1.2 and 1.3 percent respectively.
Despite the positive revenue performance, costs were also up, with energy bills rising 77.4 percent, repair bills rising 84.5 percent, and wage bills rising 64.4 percent, heavily impacting profit.
“The hospitality industry, as many commentators and companies have noted, has borne the brunt of government-led tax and regulatory cost increases, especially in the last two budgets,” added Martin.
Bearing the brunt
Tim Martin said… “The hospitality industry, as many commentators and companies have noted, has borne the brunt of government-led tax and regulatory cost increases, especially in the last two budgets…
Originally published on Coinslot on October 12, 2026. Republished with permission.