Wetherspoon will open more of its pubs across the country next week and will close an hour later as the easing of the lockdown continues, the company has announced.
A further 44 pubs in England with smaller beer gardens and outdoor areas are set to open for business from April 26, adding to the 394 which opened last week.
The new pub openings include those in Guildford, Ilkeston, Lincoln, Morecambe, Camborne, Driffield, Nottingham and Reading, and London.
All pubs remaining shut have no viable outdoor space to accommodate customers at this time, a spokesman for Wetherspoons said.
Wetherspoon will also go ahead with opening 60 of its pubs in Scotland and 32 in Wales next week and three pubs in Northern Ireland on April 30.
The Gate Clock, Greenwich, London, set to open April 26
The John Fancis Basset, Camborne, set to open April 26
Eric Bartholomew, Morecambe, set to open April 26
The Rodboro Buildings, Guilford, set to open April 26
It will result in 533 of the company’s 871 pubs being open.
From April 26 all Wetherspoon pubs, including those that opened on April 12, will be staying open for an hour longer each day.
Pubs in England will be open from 9am to 10pm (Sunday to Thursday inclusive) and 9am to 11pm (Friday and Saturday), although some have restrictions on closing times and in those cases will close earlier.
Customers will be able to enter the pubs to gain access to the outside area and also to use toilets.
They will offer a slightly reduced menu, with food available from 9am to 8pm seven days a week.
Customers will be able to order and pay through the Wetherspoon app, and staff will be able to take orders and payment at the table.
The pubs will not be operating a booking system.
Wetherspoon chief executive John Hutson said: ‘We are looking forward to opening the extra pubs in England as well as those in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
‘We look forward to welcoming our customers and staff back to our pubs.’
From April 26 hospitality venues in Scotland can open until 8pm indoors – but without alcohol – and 10pm outdoors.
In Wales outdoor hospitality will also be allowed to reopen from Monday April 26.
The news comes as the boss of one of the country’s largest pub chains said drinkers are returning to watering holes in greater numbers than predicted.
Shepherd Neame chief executive Jonathan Neame said that the brewer reopened more than 200 pubs from last Monday, around two thirds of its total.
‘Many customers have returned to our pubs in the first week to enjoy great hospitality in a relaxed and safe environment. Although it is early days, trade levels so far have been above expectation,’ Mr Neame said.
By the time all Shepherd Neame’s pubs reopen indoors in less than a month from now, according to the Government’s current road map, they will have been shut for 297 out of the last 423 days.
‘Inevitably this has had a severe impact on our numbers during this time,’ the chief executive said.
As a result, the company swung to a £7.2 million pre-tax loss in the last six months of 2020. It had made a £5.4 million profit a year earlier.
Turnover in the same period dropped 30% to £55.3 million.
The period included the summer reopening, including the Eat Out To Help Out scheme in August, which helped boost dining establishments.
Shepherd Neame was able to stave off some problems by increasing sales of bottled beer from its brewery by more than a quarter.
That way, and by controlling costs, it was able to restrict the amount of cash it was burning through each month when pubs were closed from £2 million to £1.5 million.
The company also claimed £5.7 million in Government support, including the furlough scheme, business grants and business rates relief.
However, trading has been encouraging since reopening, and like pubs across the country, Shepherd Neame hopes it can tap into a market full of pubgoers who have not been able to visit their local for several months.
‘There is significant pent-up demand in the economy. The consumer savings ratio is at high levels, and all indications are that the demand for events, for festivals, for live sport, for going out for a meal and for socialising with friends is as strong as ever,’ Mr Neame said.
‘Furthermore, with the ongoing restrictions in place on international travel, most people will choose to holiday in the UK this year. As a result, we believe that our recovery will be strong through late summer and autumn 2021.’
Last month JD Wetherspoon revealed it had registered a heavy drop in sales and a £52.8million pre-tax loss in its last six-month period as pub chains were devastated by the coronavirus pandemic.
The Last Post, Southend, Essex, set to open April 26
Skylark, Croydon, London, set to open April 26
Lady Chatterley, Eastwood, set to open April 26
Goodmans Field, east London, set to open April 26
Six Gold Marlets, Burgess Hill, London, set to open April 26
Trent Bridge Inn, West Bridgford, set to open April 26
Chairman of JD Wetherspoon Tim Martin
Revenue at the Watford-based company dropped by nearly 54 per cent to £431million in the half year to the end of January, even as pubs were allowed to reopen, albeit under restrictions, for part of that time.
To help get through the crisis, Wetherspoon has tapped into the Government’s furlough scheme, claiming more than £97million in the half year.
It also took a loan from the Coronavirus Large Business Interruption Loan Scheme in August last year, and agreed a second CBILS loan of nearly £52million last month, Wetherspoon said.
Its chairman Tim Martin, who has criticised the Government’s handling of the pandemic, said the future of the industry depended on a ‘consistent set of sensible policies’ and the ending of lockdowns and tier systems.
The company, which posted its first annual loss since 1984 in fiscal year 2020, has had to cut hundreds of jobs and ask investors for money twice, to get through the pandemic.
People get into the party spirit outside Wetherspoon’s Turls Green pub in Centenary Square, Bradford, West Yorkshire, as it opened on April 12
People waiting to get into their local Wetherspoons pub for first drinks of the day in Bournemouth town centre, Dorset, on April 12
Crowds line up to enter a Wetherspoons in Bournemouth, Dorset, on April 12