J D Wetherspoon reported a rise in sales in recent weeks since May as people flocked to pubs for beers and sparkling wines amid hot weather in Britain. The pub group, known for its affordable drinks and pub grub, reported a 5.1% rise in like-for-like sales in the 12 weeks to July 20, 2025. Wetherspoon's shares rose 3.6% to 808 pence, their highest level since May 2024. "Sales volumes, which were very slow post-pandemic, have recently overtaken pre-pandemic levels," Chairman Tim Martin said in a statement. Analysts were expecting pretax profit to be between £72 million to £80.5 million (€83 million-€92.9 million) for the year ending July 27, according to LSEG data.