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Wetherspoons to close city centre pub after 30 years as sad punters say ‘it's the end of an era'
WETHERSPOONS are set to close a city centre pub after 30 years.
Punters were left gutted after hearing that the fan favourite boozer in Preston, would be going on the market.
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The Grey Friar, which opened in the 1990s, has now been put up for sale, announced Wetherspoon.
The popular Spoons boozer was a staple of the local area and will remain open until sold.
A spokesperson said that it will remain trading as a Wetherspoon pub until it is sold and that there will be no redundancies made.
He added that, when the establishment is sold, staff will be offered jobs at other pubs in the chain.
The Grey Friar was named after Franciscan monks, who founded a nearby friary in the early 13th century.
This is also the namesake of Friargate, the street on which the boozer stands.
Thankfully for Wetherspoons fans, there is another branch in the city centre, the Twelve Tellers on Church Street.
But locals were still devastated by the move with many losing their favourite boozer in town, commonly known as 'Greyfriars' to many.
Many took to social media to weigh in with their opinions after the closure was announced.
One wrote: "Happy memories starting our Friday nights in Greyfriars… it will be missed!!"
Another said: "Oh my goodness! Me and my bf often start an evening out in here, have tea and move on from here into town.
"We sometimes go for breakfast too."
Inside Wetherspoons huge new pub - it's a hidden gem 'off the beaten track' and has a major pricing difference
A third commented: "Flipping heck if Wetherspoons is closing …. Preston reallly is doomed."
Another wrote: "There will be many dissapointed customers."
It comes as a wave of closures have hit UK pubs recently, figures published by the British Beer and Pub Association revealed around six pubs closed every week.
The trade body found 289 boozers served last orders for the final time in 2024 across England and Wales.
The data, released in April, suggested that with the closure of six boozers a week came the loss of 4,500 jobs.
With employer National Insurance contributions being hiked with the minimum wage, more pubs are expected to shut this year too.
To cope with the increased running costs pubs are forced to increase their prices.
Wetherspoon also exclusively revealed to The Sun in January it had increased the price of a host of drinks and meal deals by up to 30p.
Prices on drinks were hiked by 15p, while meal deals were increased by 30p.
Wetherspoons said a number of drinks, though, had not gone up in price including all draught lagers like Budweiser, Carling and Coors.
Boss Tim Martin said the pub chain had "tried to remain as competitive as possible" with its pricing.
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.
