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Working From Home Hits Beer Sales at Wetherspoons

  • Wetherspoon issues profit warning as demand falls, costs rise
  • Company says wage bill has soared by £100 million since 2019
Sales of draft ales, lagers and cider were 8% below pre-pandemic levels during the fiscal fourth quarter.

Sales of draft ales, lagers and cider were 8% below pre-pandemic levels during the fiscal fourth quarter.

Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Working-from-home trends and a growing taste for cocktails among the young are hurting demand for beer and cider, according to Tim Martin, the outspoken chairman of British pub chain JD Wetherspoon Plc. 

Sales of draft ales, lagers and cider -- historically the largest contributor to pub revenue -- were 8% below pre-pandemic levels during the fiscal fourth quarter, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Spirits and cocktails, meantime, showed gains.