Two new London Wetherspoons opening in 2025 - full list of every new UK pub this year
Wetherspoon fans brace yourselves as the beloved pub chain plans to open 11 new branches across the UK this year, exceeding a total of 800 venues by year's end.
London has already welcomed a new pub in Waterloo Station back in September of last year. Other London neighbourhoods expecting their own Wetherspoons in 2025 are London Bridge's Tooley Street and Fulham Broadway Station.
Wetherspoons offer cheap pints and budget-friendly food, making it a favourite amongst people of all ages. The company has its sights set on opening seven more establishments throughout the UK before summer hits, with locations including London, Bath, and Manchester.
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Chairman Tim Martin explained that the company is preparing for a £60 million surge in labour expenses come April, following increases in employers' national insurance and the minimum wage. Martin described the company's status as "reasonable" but said that it was difficult to predict future performance with tax and wage increases on the horizon.
Consequently, JD Wetherspoon's boss has asked Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to cut back pub food taxes in anticipation of rising costs due to the Budget. While most supermarket food and drink items are exempt from VAT, eateries and pubs pay a standard rate of 20 per cent on their food items.
Despite this, the chain is continuing with its plans to expand this year. With the rising cost of living, the new London spots are likely to attract customers looking for a cheap pint.
Tooley Street - London Bridge
Tooley Street's new Wetherspoons, named The Sun Wharf, is expected to stay open until 12.30am every day except Sunday, when it would instead close at 11.30pm. The official opening date of the pub is yet to be confirmed.
The Sun Wharf is likely a reference to the many shipping wharfs that historically lined the nearby Pool of London section of the River Thames.
Once home to the London Dungeon, the Tooley Street lot has struggled to find a permanent tenant since the tourist attraction relocated to the South Bank in 2013. Property owners Network Rail have reportedly found it difficult to fill the space due to the dire interior.
A proposal for the pub was submitted by the chain in September 2024. The premises license application sent to Southwark Council laid out plans to operate in the arches of 50 Tooley Street, just metres from the station's entrance.
Fulham Broadway Station - Fulham
In West London, Fulham will welcome a new JD Wetherspoon, with its name yet to be confirmed. Wetherspoons was granted approval to move into a former ticket office by Fulham Broadway Station. It will be turned into a two-storey pub and restaurant following Hammersmith and Fulham Council’s decision in June 2024.
JD Wetherspoon spokesman Eddie Gershon said: “We are very pleased that plans for the new Wetherspoon pub in Fulham have been approved.”
Opening hours for the premises are to be 8am to midnight Sunday to Thursday and 9am to 1am Friday to Saturday. Alcohol sale inside the premises will be from 9am to 11.30pm Sunday to Thursday, and 9am to 12.30am Friday and Saturday.
JD Wetherspoon made a number of compromises during the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, including the sale of alcohol starting at 9am rather than 8am as initially requested, and for off-sales to be limited to the pub’s terrace area.
A total of 20 objections, including one from the local ward councillor and Deputy Leader of Hammersmith and Fulham, Ben Coleman, were filed prior to the June session. Concerns included the potential for increased crime and disorder if the application was approved, and the implications of alcohol sale past midnight.
Sarah Chambers, a resident and acting Co-Chair of Walham Green Town Ward Panel, said: “Residents would very much hope these hours are capped at midnight. It’s a very lively area, and there’s also quite a heavy residential population down Harwood Road which faces almost directly onto the Wetherspoon and directly behind it.”
Following the Licensing Sub-Committee meeting, the chain agreed to several conditions. The additional conditions stipulate that there must be no sale of alcohol for consumption outside except on the external terrace, that a member of staff shall organise and accommodate meetings with residents at least twice a year, and for the premises to be part of the local Pubwatch scheme.
Here's the full list of Wetherspoons pubs set to open this year:
Manchester Airport - Terminal Two
Fulham - Fulham Broadway Station
Bath - George Street
Beaconsfield - Station Road
Wetherby - High Street
Tooley Street - London Bridge
Fareham - Whiteley shopping centre
Cleethorpes Beach - Lincolnshire
Devon Cliffs - Devon
Kent Coast - Kent
Haggerston Castle - Northumberland
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