Wetherspoons pubs in Glasgow and rest of UK report £155m record losses amidst labour shortages

In an update to investors, it posted a £154.7 million loss in the year ending on 25 July, as losses of £34.1 million were recorded for the year prior.

Even though the firm ensured there were signs of recovery as the world slowly returns to life pre-pandemic, it is struggling to fill vacancies in some areas across the country.

Weatherspoon’s chairman Tim Martin, who is a big Brexit advocate, criticised the government’s reaction to the pandemic as being “draconian.”

The company said that like-for-like sales, which rule out the impact of new pub openings, are only down 8.7% in the last nine weeks than in a similar period before national lockdowns.

Overall, reports state that revenues from meals, pints, and soft drinks have fallen by 38.8% from the year before to £772.6 million.

During a conversation with shareholders, Martin was fairly confident that the situation will eventually ease ahead of the next financial year.