BRITAIN’S “cheapest” Wetherspoons pub sells pints for less than £1.50 – and it’s in LONDON.
The Kentish Drovers in Peckham, in the city’s south, is flogging beers at bizarrely cheap prices, not seen for 30 years.
Worthington Cream Flow and Green King IPA are sold for £1.49 as part of the boozer’s Monday Club promotion.
The last time ale was priced so low on average in the UK was in 1995, according to the Office for National Statistics.
The menu also shows a further selection of ales for under £2, while Carlsberg is £2.77, Bud Light is £1.99 and a Bell’s whisky costs £1.79.
It’s understood the anomaly is due to the pub’s isolated location, as it lacks convenient transport links.
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A Drovers staff member said Spoons generally charges higher when a branch is within a certain proximity to a Tube or rail station, particularly in the capital.
This is because footfall will be higher. While its best prices are usually found slightly further afield.
Drovers is almost a mile from the nearest transport hub – Peckham Rye Train Station.
Outside of London, where public transport systems are more sparse, the pricing may work slightly differently, depending on the popularity of each boozer, it is claimed.
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Another staff member told us Kentish Drovers is on a “cheaper price point”.
They said: “We are always the most competitively priced in town – if there’s another Wetherspoons nearby we will always be able to at least match their prices.”
And added the Monday Club sees the cheapest prices because it’s “the quietest day of the week”.
One Drovers punter told The Sun: “I’ve been a couple of times and was surprised at how cheap some of the prices are.
“The staff just laugh when anyone questions it, and they all seem very knowledgeable about the local ales on offer.”
A Wetherspoons spokesperson said: “Wetherspoon takes pride in offering its drinks and food at value for money prices at its pubs across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
“All prices for both drink and food are listed in the individual pubs.
“Wetherspoon is transparent about the fact that prices will vary in some areas; for example prices in central London will be higher than those in north Wales.
“This is, among other reasons, due to higher property prices and the running of the pubs.
“However, even in the locations where prices might be higher than in other Wetherspoon pubs, the prices are still good value and in many cases, lower than competing pubs.
“Also re Kentish Drovers – there might be a few pubs with beers at £1.49, but I have not found any cheaper.”
According to the website: “The name of this pub recalls the inn which stood on the other side of High Street.
“Dating from at least the late 1700s, it was named after the cattle drovers who passed through Peckham on their way to Smithfield Market.
“The Kentish Drovers beer house dated from at least the late 1700s.”
Do you know somewhere that sells cheaper pints than £1.49? Email ryan.merrifield@thesun.co.uk
How can I save money at Wetherspoons?
FREE refills – Buy a £1.50 tea, coffee or hot chocolate and you can get free refills. The deal is available all day, every day.
Check a map – Prices can vary from one location the next, even those close to each other.
So if you’re planning a pint at a Spoons, it’s worth popping in nearby pubs to see if you’re settling in at the cheapest.
Choose your day – Each night the pub chain runs certain food theme nights.
For instance, every Thursday night is curry club, where diners can get a main meal and a drink for a set price cheaper than usual.
Pick-up vouchers – Students can often pick up voucher books in their local near universities, which offer discounts on food and drink, so keep your eyes peeled.
Get appy – The Wetherspoons app allows you to order and pay for your drink and food from your table – but you don’t need to be in the pub to use it.
Taking full advantage of this, cheeky customers have used social media to ask their friends and family to order them drinks. The app is free to download on the App Store or Google Play.
Check the date – Every year, Spoons holds its Tax Equality Day to highlight the benefits of a permanently reduced tax bill for the pub industry.
It usually takes place in September, and last year it fell on Thursday, September 14.
As well as its 12-day Real Ale Festival every Autumn, Wetherspoons also holds a Spring Festival.
PUBS ON THE DECLINE
The pub industry has been facing significant challenges recently.
In 2024 alone, over 289 pubs permanently closed, leading to the loss of approximately 4,500 jobs, according to last month’s British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) research.
Emma McClarkin, CEO of the BBPA, said: “The scale of these closures is completely avoidable because pubs are doing a brisk trade.
“Consumer demand is there, however, profits are being wiped out with sky high bills and pubs are facing yet more rates and costs come April.
“We’re right behind Labour’s mission to supercharge growth and can deliver this economic boost across the UK, but only if it is easier for pubs to keep their doors open.
“Government must urgently bring in meaningful business rates reform and phase in new employment costs so pubs can keep boosting the economy, supporting local jobs, and remaining at the heart of communities.”
Additionally, starting April 1, 2025, a new regulation will come into effect, requiring pubs to pay a fee to sell takeaway pints.
During the pandemic, the government relaxed licensing laws, to allow pubs to sell takeaway pints.
This allowed many businesses to stay afloat during lockdown, but from April 1, this popular practice will be banned.
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Many pub landlords were in favour of the law relaxation, as it allowed for a boost in sales, whilst having a takeaway option is seen as a major positive for many pub-goers.
The change has sparked concerns among pub owners about potential revenue losses.
Wetherspoons to shut beloved city-centre pub in WEEKS as exact date revealed
WETHERSPOONS is set to shut a beloved city-centre pub in a matter of weeks and now its exact closure date has now been confirmed.
The Spon Gate, a cherished haunt in Coventry, will be calling last orders for the final time next month.
Wetherspoons has now confirmed that it will shut up shop on Sunday, May 25.
It is believed that workers at The Spoon Gate, which is named after one of the 12 gates in the city’s medieval wall, will be offered roles elsewhere in the company.
This decision is part of a broader strategy by the pub chain, which has seen several of its establishments put up for sale or closed in recent times.
A spokesperson for Wetherspoons said: “It is a commercial decision taken by Wetherspoon.
“We thank all our staff and customers over the years.”
The closure will mean punters in Coventry will now only have two other options other Wetherspoons pub.
The Spon Gate is not the only Weatherspoons branch set to close, with another pub shutting in a matter of days.
Wetherspoons also announced the closure of The Quay in Poole, Dorset, scheduled for March 23.
The seaside branch will be taken over by new owners, Hall & Woodhouse.
The boozer, which sits inside a grade II listed building on the seafront, was taken over by Spoons in 1996.
