Wetherspoon to close two popular pubs in weeks with more at risk – full list

The popular pub chain, JD Wetherspoons, is famed for its cheap prices and expansive portfolio of locations.

But ongoing closures have seen several sites close down in recent months.

And now, two more Wetherspoons pubs are set to be axed within a matter of weeks.

Punters in Fareham will bid farewell to The Lord Arthur Lee, located on West Street in Fareham town centre.

The public freehouse will lock its doors for good next Monday, April 29.

A second “spoons” location, Market Cross in Holywell, North Wales, will shut its close a few weeks later on May 12.

Both pubs are expected to be passed on to new owners, as reported by The Mirror.

The sites are part of a wider portfolio of Wetherspoons that have been sold or are currently on the market.

Five Wetherspoon locations are actively marketed for sale, while nine have received offers that the company is mulling over.

This does not necessarily mean these pubs have been sold; it simply indicates that an offer is on the table.

After a series of disposals, Wetherspoons’ portfolio has slimmed down to 814 pubs. In March 2024, the chain reported a substantial profit increase, boasting pre-tax profits rocketing to £36million from £4.6million the previous year.

At the time, Wetherspoon issued a statement stating: “In the last decade, there has been a reduction in the number of trading Wetherspoon pubs, which peaked at 955 in December 2015. In spite of a reduction in the overall number of pubs, sales have continued to increase total sales are now about one third higher than in 2015.”

However, Wetherspoon still maintains that it has the “potential” to expand to 1,000 sites across the UK.

Sir Tim Martin, the founder of Wetherspoon, told Sky News’ Business Live with Ian King: “I think it’s quite quick going from 500 to 800 [pubs], but it’s slower filling in the final gaps. So I don’t want to put too much of a timescale on it, but probably not much more than a dozen a year.”