Wetherspoon J D — Trading Update Announcement

(LSE:JDW) J D Wetherspoon reported like-for-like sales increased by 8.2% in the 14 weeks to 1 November 2026. Bar sales rose by 9.4% in the same period. Food sales were up 6.8%. Slot and fruit machine sales increased by 7.1%. Hotel room sales declined by 1.4%. Total sales are up 9.1% year-to-date. In September, like-for-like sales grew by 9.9%, compared to an industry increase of 2.7%. This performance extended the company's outperformance streak to 49 consecutive months. Net debt fell to £736m, compared to £756m at the end of FY26 Q1. The group has opened six managed pubs year-to-date. J D Wetherspoon currently operates 797 managed pubs and 25 franchises. The company expects to open a further 5 to 10 managed pubs and 10 to 15 franchised pubs. Management stated that the year has started well. However, they noted that profits are dependent on the level of future sales. The consensus profit forecast for FY27 is £76.4m for the 53-week period.