Wetherspoon boss reveals which drink is most in demand with younger punters as sales jump

Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin

The boss of pub chain Wetherspoon today said soaring demand for Guinness from younger customers has helped its sales jump.

Tim Martin also pointed to higher sales of traditional sales for helping Wetherspoon continue a “steady recovery from the pandemic”. The pub chain saw like-for-like sales rise by 5.2% over the 13 weeks to April 28 compared with a year earlier. Its total sales were up 3.3%.

Wetherspoon now runs 809 pubs across the UK, down from 955 at its peak in 2015 following a string of closures. In an earlier financial update from this year, the pub giant said it is targeting 1,000 sites over the next decade.

Tim Martin, chairman of JD Wetherspoon, said: “Sales in the period continued the steady recovery from the pandemic. Traditional ales, which were very slow in the aftermath of the lockdowns, are increasing momentum, with Abbot Ale, Ruddles Bitter and Doom Bar showing good growth, as indeed are ales from the many small and micro brewers with which we trade.

“The gods of fashion have smiled upon Guinness, previously consumed by blokes my age, but now widely adopted by younger generations. The company expects profits in the current financial year to be towards the top of market expectations.”

But in less good news for punters, Wetherspoon this week confirmed it has axed 18 drinks from its menu, including Lambs Navy Rum, Bombay Bramble and Gordon’s Sicilian Lemon. The pub chain has also got rid of Tropical Raspberry Corona Seltzer and Tropical Guava Corona Seltzer, while one soft drink, The Dalston’s Rhubarb, is now also no longer available.

But a number of new world drinks now been added to the menu, including beers, spirits and liqueurs. Some of the new additions include Cerveza Pacifico Clara, also known as Pacifico, and Stella Unfiltered, while Au Vodka strawberry burst and XIX Vodka are also available. Wetherspoon also added a number of new food items to its menu this month, including a new Ramen noodle bowl and Shawarma chicken wrap.