JD Wetherspoon to sell 99p pints ahead of lockdown

JD Wetherspoon has announced it will sell pints of its ale for 99p in a bid to clear stock before England enters into a second national lockdown on Thursday 5 November. 

According to the Guardian, this is the pub chain’s second time introducing price cuts on its products, following on from its scheme of offering pints for £1.29 after the governments eat out to help out scheme expired in September. 

The government’s surprise lockdown announcement on Saturday, 31 October has been a point of concern for many in the UK hospitality sector. 

A statement published last week by UKHospitably stressed that the industry has already been “pushed to the limits”, with many business owners failing to recover from the first lockdown imposed in March. 

Last month the Tim Martin-owned chain reported a £105.4m pre-tax loss in the year to 26 July as sales fell due to Covid-19 restrictions, the company’s first loss since 1984. 

A spokesman for Wetherspoon told the Guardian: “All of our pubs in England will be serving their real ales at 99p a pint until the pubs close on Wednesday night.

“The reality is that any real ales not sold between now and lockdown will have to be thrown away, so it is better that customers can enjoy it at a great price while the pubs remain open.”

Catering Today has contacted Wetherspoon for a comment.