Pub giant with 811 boozers to shut another location TODAY as fans cry about ‘fond memories’

A POPULAR branch of Wetherspoons is closing today for good, with dozens more still at risk.

The Percy Shaw in Halifax will open its doors to punters for the last time today after the venue was sold to a new owner.

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The chain – with over 800 pubs across the UK – announced last September that several of its pubs will be up for sale.

Unfortunately for the locals in Halifax, The Percy Shaw was among the venues up for sale.

Locals took to social media to express their disappointment over the pub’s closure.

“What?! Why?” one Facebook user wrote.

Another added: “Sad times.”

And a third said: “Wow! Another bit of history gone.”

However, in a statement on Facebook, the new owners said they “remain committed” to keeping the price of food and drink low.

They wrote: “As many have heard, The Percy Shaw will be transferring to independent ownership from January 2024.

“We are extremely excited to be taking this fantastic venue forward in 2024.”

They added: “We will be bringing back a few brands that were lost in the past couple of years such as John Smiths and Fosters to supplement other favourites like Carling, Coors, Shipyard to name a few.

“We will be serving food and prices will be very similar to the current prices in The Percy Shaw.”

The Percy Shaw will reopen under new ownership on January 15.

Last year, The Sun revealed that Wetherspoons had put 11 more pubs up for sale.

There are currently 20 Wetherspoons pubs up for sale.

Of these, eight are currently under offer.

This means that a buyer has presented an offer that is being considered by the seller.

It doesn’t mean that the sale is guaranteed, and it could remain open if it doesn’t complete.

A full list of these pubs is as follows:

• Wrong ‘Un, Bexleyheath
• The Alfred Herring, Palmers Green
• The Cross Keys, Peebles
• Asparagus, Battersea
• The Jolly Sailor, Bristol
• The Mockbeggar Hall, Moreton
• The Sir Norman Rae, Shipley
• The White Hart, Todmorden

The White Hart, The Mockbeggar Hall and The Sir Norman Rae have joined this list in recent weeks.

The following 12 pubs remain available to any interested buyers:

• The Pontlottyn, Abertillery
• The Ivor Davies, Cardiff
• Spa Lane Vaults, Chesterfield
• The Gate House, Doncaster
• The Market Cross, Holywell
• The Regent, Kirkby in Ashfield
• The Hain Line, St Ives
• The Sir Daniel Arms, Swindon
• Lord Arthur Lee, Fareham
• The Plough and Harrow, London
• Resolution, Middlesbrough
• Sennockian, Sevenoaks

While the 43 pubs below have already shut their doors for good:

• The John Masefield, New Ferry
• Angel, Islington
• The Silkstone Inn, Barnsley
• The Billiard Hall, West Bromwich
• Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis, Southampton
• The Colombia Press, Watford
• The Malthouse, Willenhall
• The John Masefield, New Ferry
• Thomas Leaper, Derby
• Cliftonville, Hove
• Tollgate, Harringay
• Last Post, Loughton
• Harvest Moon, Orpington
• Alexander Bain, Wick
• Chapel an Gansblydhen, Bodmin
• Moon on the Square, Basildon
• Coal Orchard, Taunton
• Running Horse, Airside Doncaster Airport
• Wild Rose, Bootle
• Edmund Halley, Lee Green
• The Willow Grove, Southport
• Postal Order, Worcester
• North and South Wales Bank, Wrexham
• The Sir John Stirling Maxwell, Glasgow
• The Knight’s Templar, London
• Christopher Creeke, Bournemouth
• The Water House, Durham
• The Widow Frost, Mansfield
• The Worlds Inn, Romford
• Hudson Bay, Forest Gate
• The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh
• The Bankers Draft, Eltham, London
• The Sir John Arderne, Newark
• The Capitol, Forest Hill
• Moon and Bell, Loughborough
• Nightjar, Ferndown
• General Sir Redvers Buller, Crediton
• The Rising Sun, Redditch
• The Butlers Bell, Stafford
• Millers Well, East Ham
• Foxley Hatch, Purley
• The Coronet, London
• The Percy Shaw, Halifax

It comes as pubs and highstreet retailers close their doors for good amid a turbulent economic backdrop.

Inflation has resulted in households having less money to spend.

Rising energy bills and wage costs are putting pressure on many beloved British pubs and retailers.

Cath Kidston, Paperchase, M&Co and popular discounter Wilko have all crashed into administration this year.

Wilko has made a comeback with two new shops just months after the historic retail chain collapsed.

The brand opened its stores in Plymouth and Exeter at the beginning of December last year.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk