REG - Wetherspoon (JD) PLC - Trading Update Announcement

J D WetherspoonAnnouncement

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RNS Number : 1305D  Wetherspoon (JD) PLC  06 May 2026

6 May 2026

J D WETHERSPOON PLC

Trading Update Announcement

 

J D Wetherspoon plc ('J D Wetherspoon' or 'the Company'), announces a trading
update for the 13-week period to 26 April 2026.

 

Current Trading

 

Like-for-like sales increased by 3.4% in the 13 weeks to 26 April 2026,
compared to the same period last year. Year-to-date (YTD) like-for-like sales
increased by 4.3%.

 

Total sales increased by 4.1% in the quarter and by 4.9% YTD.

 

 

Property

 

In the YTD, the company has opened eight pubs and sold eight.

 

The company currently operates 794 managed pubs. In addition, 21 pubs operate
under a franchise agreement. There have been 13 franchised openings in the
YTD.

 

 

Financial Position

 

In the YTD, the company has purchased 3,845,754 of its own shares for
cancellation at an average price of £6.80 a share.

 

In addition, the company has purchased the freehold reversions of four pubs
for a total of £12.2 million, bringing the amount we've spent on freehold
reversions since 2011 to £489 million.

 

We continue to anticipate year-end net debt of between £740 million and £760
million.

 

Interest costs for the financial year will be approximately £47 million, in
line with FY25.

 

 

Outlook

 

The chairman of JD Wetherspoon, Tim Martin, said:

 

 

"Sales growth was ahead of the 'NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker' for the
43(rd) month in a row in March 2026, although Wetherspoon's growth for Q3 was
slightly below the year-to-date.

 

"The company has a strong pipeline of new pubs and planned openings include
Manchester airport, Heathrow airport, Paddington station, Charing Cross
station and Shaftesbury Ave in central London.

 

"As many hospitality operators, including Wetherspoon, have reported, there
have been substantial increases in costs, which may result in profits slightly
below market expectations."

 

 

Enquiries:

 

John Hutson                 Chief Executive
Officer              01923 477777

Ben Whitley                   Finance
Director
01923 477777

Eddie Gershon              Company
spokesman                07956 392234

 

 

Notes to editors:

 

1. J D Wetherspoon owns and operates pubs throughout the UK and Ireland. The
Company aims to provide customers with good-quality food and drink, served by
well-trained and friendly staff, at reasonable prices. The pubs are
individually designed, and the Company aims to maintain them in excellent
condition.

 

2. Visit our website: www.jdwetherspoon.com (http://www.jdwetherspoon.com)

 

3. This announcement has been prepared solely to provide additional
information to the shareholders of J D Wetherspoon, to meet the requirements
of the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules. It should not be relied on by
any other party, for any other purposes. Forward-looking statements have been
made by the directors in good faith, using information available up until the
date on which they approved this statement. Forward-looking statements

should be regarded with caution, because of the inherent uncertainties in
economic trends and business risks.

 

4. The current financial year comprises 52 trading weeks to 26 July 2026.

 

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