Speaking to The Sunday Times, the 70-year-old said he intends to continue leading the business but accepted the need to identify future leadership, noting that none of his four children work in the company. “I’ve got to find people to take over from me,” he said.
£1m per pub
The comments come as new figures show Wetherspoon paid £837.1m in tax in 2024 to 2025 across corporation tax, VAT, business rates, duty, PAYE and machine levies.
The total is equivalent to more than £1m per pub across its 794-site estate.
Martin’s personal tax contribution of almost £200m placed him eighth in this year’s Sunday Times Tax List.
Tax imbalance
He said the figures underline the economic value pubs generate for towns and cities, but reiterated long standing concerns about the tax imbalance between pubs and supermarkets.
Wetherspoon continues to argue for VAT reform on food, saying the current 20% rate in pubs versus zero for supermarkets is “hobbling” the sector.
“If you had equality between pubs and supermarkets you’d have a much stronger hospitality industry, bringing in much more tax than you’d lose from the VAT cut,” Martin said.
Although Wetherspoon has returned to consistent profitability, the estate remains smaller than its 951-site peak in 2015, and Martin warned that higher rates, VAT and labour costs continue to undermine sector investment and entrepreneurship.
He also suggested the UK’s fiscal environment may push younger entrepreneurs to launch businesses in more “business friendly” markets overseas unless long term tax reform is addressed.
In November last year, Martin confirmed plans to open the group’s first pub in continental Europe, located at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport in Spain.
