Wetherspoon nears pre-pandemic sales but rising costs bite

Sales across the UK and Ireland for the last three weeks was just 2.6% below pre pandemic levels

Wetherspoon said it expects the increase in costs to be slightly less than the level of inflation.

Pub group JD Wetherspoon's sales are inching closer to pre-pandemic levels after riding out the Omicron virus wave but the group is facing higher costs from food, drink and energy suppliers.

Sales have rebounded following the removal of all pandemic-related curbs, with trade across Wetherspoon's 800 pubs in the UK and Ireland for the last three weeks falling just 2.6% below the same period in 2019.