Major update on Wetherspoons closures as eight at risk of closing their doors for good – is your local one of them?

WETHERSPOONS has closed another pub and more than half a dozen are still at risk of closing.

Locals could lose as many as eight Wetherspoons drinking spots, which remain up for sale or under offer.

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Pubs in Cornwall, London and Cardiff all remain on the market.

And now, The Regent, in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, has become the latest Wetherspoons branch to be snapped up.

In a post on the pub's Facebook page, the new owners confirmed it has taken over the running of the pub from Wetherspoons.

They wrote: "We would like to welcome you with our open arms as the new owners of The Regent.

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"We have finally been handed the keys and have began installing our new draught."

Wetherspoons confirmed the change of ownership to The Sun.

Meanwhile, The Quay, Poole, have gone from being up for sale to under offer.

This means that a buyer has presented an offer that is being considered by the seller.

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It doesn't mean that the sale is guaranteed, and it could remain open if it doesn't complete.

It comes after Wetherspoons confirmed that it has sold or surrendered the lease on 26 pubs so far this year.

The Cross Keys in Peebles, Scotland and The Bear's Head in Penarth are among the boozers that have been lost.

Many pubs were listed for sale through the estate agent Savills, but some have quietly closed and changed hands without being listed.

Spoons, which has 801 pubs, said it has largely disposed of venues which are "smaller and older", or where it has another branch in close proximity.

But it's not all bad news for drinkers, as the chain also opened two pubs this year, with more to come.

The Lion and Unicorn opened at London's Waterloo station in early April.

Plus, Wetherspoon opened its first pub at a holiday park at Haven’s Primrose Valley in Filey, North Yorkshire in March.

New openings in Waterloo and Fulham Broadway stations in London, and in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, are also planned for the coming months.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Wetherspoons boss Sir Tim Martin he is planning to ramp up plans to launch "Super Spoons" pubs - making existing sites even bigger.

It also has long-term ambitions of growing to 1,000 venues.

Sir Tim Martin said its total sales are at “record levels” despite having fewer venues than it did a year ago.

The chain has reported that like-for-like sales increased by 5.8% in the 10 weeks to July 7, despite unseasonably wet weather.

“The average Wetherspoon pub has generated taxes of one sort or another of £7 million in the last 10 years, as well as generating considerable employment and social benefits,” Sir Tim said.

“The last government failed to implement tax equality between pubs and supermarkets, leading to pub closures and underinvestment.

“Wetherspoon hopes that the current Chancellor, with a Bank of England pedigree, will understand how many beans make five, and rectify this inequality.”

Wetherspoons originally announced in September 2022 that it was putting dozens of its pubs up for sale.

The two pubs up for sale are:

• The Ivor Davies, Cardiff
• The Bank House, Cheltenham

The six Wetherspoons branches that are currently under offer are as follows:

• The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
• The Hain Line, St Ives
• Foot of the Walk, Leith
• London and Rye, London
• The Quay, Poole
• Thomas Drummond, Fleetwood

All of the pubs listed above remain open for business and will continue to until a buyer is found.

The Jolly Sailor, Bristol, has been removed from sale after shutting its doors for good in recent weeks.

Wetherspoons regularly reviews the branches it has up for sale and has often taken venues off the market to continue operating as part of the pub chain.

The Sun recently visited the UK's biggest Wetherspoons and we found pints for under £3 and it has a striking difference to other pubs.

What is happening to the hospitality industry?

Many Food and drink chains have been struggling in recent months as the cost of living has led to fewer people spending on eating out.

Businesses had been struggling to bounce back after the pandemic, only to be hit with soaring energy bills and inflation.

Multiple chains have been affected, resulting in big-name brands like Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's closing branches.

Some chains have not survived, Byron Burger fell into administration last year, with owners saying it would result in the loss of over 200 jobs.

Pizza giant, Papa Johns is shutting down 43 of its stores soon.

Tasty, the owner of Wildwood, said it will shut sites as part of major restructuring plans.

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