Join our community of smart investors

Has time been called on JD Wetherspoon's growth prospects?

The pub operator has been the standout performer in a difficult sector. Despite strong sales growth, rising costs and a slowdown in new pub openings suggest that growing profits in the future is going to be difficult
March 20, 2019

Very few companies can prosper for long periods of time. Like humans, many go through a life-cycle. They start off and can often grow rapidly for many years. Then growth slows down before moderating if they are lucky. Other companies stagnate and even decline and die. JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has been better at growing and standing tall in a very difficult pub sector. However, recent results suggest that it too may struggle to get much bigger. What does the future hold for this company?

The business

This is subscriber only content
Start your trial to keep reading
PRINT AND DIGITAL trial

Get 12 weeks for £12
  • Essential access to the website and app
  • Magazine delivered every week
  • Investment ideas, tools and analysis
Have an account? Sign in