Key points:

  • JD Wetherspoon is partnering with Papas Group to open 15 new pubs across the UK, starting with Lincoln’s Gateway Park.
  • The chain scores exceptionally high on Value for Money (43.7) compared to the UK pub average of just 4.2.
  • Customer Satisfaction (31.2 vs. 7.1), Recommend scores (13.9 vs. 4.8), and Index scores (13.0 vs. 4.4) all show Wetherspoon far outperforming the pub sector.
  • Current Customer scores are nearly ten times the industry average (18.8 vs. 2.0), reflecting its strong and growing footfall.

J D Wetherspoon recently announced a franchise agreement with Wendy’s owner Papas Group. The group, which operates largely in Northern England, will manage 15 new UK locations, with the first of the new establishments to open in Gateway Park, Lincoln.

It’s a move that pubgoers may welcome. While J D Wetherspoon has had controversies around its lack of music, its chairman’s occasional political interventions, and (recently) its decision to hike prices ahead of a hotly-anticipated Oasis concert, it is enjoying rising sales of late. Data from YouGov BrandIndex suggests that this may be because consumers simply like the chain.

It's perhaps straightforward that Wetherspoon might do well in terms of Value for Money, scoring more than ten times the average UK pub or bar brand for this measure (43.7 vs. 4.2). But it also performs well across other metrics.

Customer Satisfaction scores, for example, are at 31.2 compared to 7.1 for the sector as a whole. Furthermore, the public are willing to suggest the brand to friends or colleagues: its Recommend scores are at 13.9 next to 4.8 for the wider industry. Index scores – a measure of overall brand health – are at 13.0 next to 4.4. for the sector.  This translates to higher footfall: Current Customer scores for JD Wetherspoon are at 18.8 next to 2.0 for the industry.

The chain is even more well-liked in some of the regions where it is set to launch new locations. Consumers in the East Midlands (11.8) – where the first of the new franchise pubs will open – register higher Impression scores for J D Wetherspoon than the rest of the UK, and the same is true for the North of England, where locations will open in Northumberland and Stockton-on-Tees (11.6).

The deal with Papas Group follows the news from earlier this year that JD Wetherspoon would open locations in places such as Buckinghamshire, Basildon, and London’s Waterloo Station (and close some of its older establishments). The chain is expanding rapidly and strategically. Will its bets on these new locations pay off?

This article originally appeared in City AM