Why Wetherspoons will be increasing its prices following lockdown

Wednesday, 7th July 2021, 12:56 pm
The change in VAT rules means that Wetherspoons will be adding around 40p to its meal prices (Photo: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)


The pub chain criticised the Government for “Monty Python” VAT rules, which it claims will bolster supermarkets instead of the hospitality sector.

Why is it increasing its prices?


The Government announced at Budget 2021 that the temporary reduced rate will be extended for a further six-month period at five per cent until 30 September 2021.

A new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent will then be introduced which will end on 31 March 2022, when the original 20 per cent will once again be introduced.


As of 4 July 2021, 850 of Wetherspoons 860 pubs are open, with most of the closed pubs located in airports.

'An area of undoubted unfairness'









'The company expects to make a loss'



In its update, Wetherspoons said its like-for-like sales from 17 May, when hospitality venues were able to reopen indoors, to 4 July declined by 14.6 per cent against the same period last year.


Wetherspoons said that sales since 10 June, when the tournament started, had fallen by more than a fifth, with the group’s pubs not televising games apart from a very limited number of exceptions.

The company added that like-for-like bar and food sales from 12 April to 17 May, when sites were only able to reopen outside, declined 49 per cent against the same period in 2019.
