- Business
- J D Wetherspoon plc J D Wetherspoon plc owns and operates pubs and hotels across the United Kingdom, Isle of Man, and Ireland; it offers a wide range of food and beverages including beers with over 30 types of ales, wines, spirits, cocktails, low- and no-alcohol options, coffees, traditional British meals, regional dishes, gourmet burgers such as The Big Smoke and Cheese Meltdown, pizzas, curries, small plates, spice bags, and breakfast deals; the company also provides hotel accommodations under brands like George Hotel, Shrewsbury Hotel, and Unicorn in Ripon, featuring family rooms, free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, and full meal services, alongside the Wetherspoon app for table-side ordering and gift cards. Founded in 1979 by Tim Martin with its first pub in Muswell Hill, North London, and headquartered at Wetherspoon House, Reeds Crescent, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD24 4QL, the company manages approximately 796 pubs and over 50 hotels, serving diverse customers through club deals like Monday small plates, Tuesday gourmet burgers, Wednesday pizzas, Thursday curries, and weekday afternoon specials, all paired with extensive drink selections. Recent developments include the expansion of its exclusive partnership with Haven holiday parks, launching four new on-site pubs in Spring 2025 at Cleethorpes Beach, Devon Cliffs, Kent Coast, and Haggerston Castle following the successful debut at Primrose Valley, bringing franchised pubs to seven; directors and PDMRs acquired ordinary shares under the partnership plan in September 2025 to align management interests with shareholders; the company sold six pubs generating £4.1 million in cash inflow while reporting like-for-like sales growth of 5.1% and total revenue of £2,127.5 million for the fiscal year ended July 2025.