The group said it would be investing £20m in the new openings in July, and expects these to create 650 jobs.
A company spokesperson told BigHospitality that Wetherspoons’s long-term goal continues to be 50 new openings a year, but that July marked a significant boost to its expansion efforts. In the coming years, JDW aims to double its portfolio of pubs to 1,600.
“The company continues to go from strength to strength and the opening of 14 new pubs in one month highlights this perfectly,” said Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin.
Locations of the pubs include Weston Super Mare, Luton, Holywell, Nottingham, Accrington, Newbury, Todmorden and Farnborough.
Pub sector performance
Growth in the pub sector as a whole has seen an upturn over the past year, according to a report published in recent weeks. Market analyst NPD noted that although pubs have not yet returned to their pre-recession performance, the sector has managed to boost business through diversification.
Food sales in pubs have proved particularly successful, with longer opening hours, all-day food sales, value-for money food, and welcoming families all contributing to the growing popularity of pub meals.
Wetherspoon, which was amongst the first pub groups to expand its food offering by openings its pubs for breakfast last year, said sales remain resilient.
In a trading update earlier this year, Wetherspoon said that although it continues to face higher costs like the wider industry, it expects to deliver a “reasonable” performance this year, boosted by the “encouraging” performance of its new openings.