WETHERSPOONS has confirmed the closure of more of their pubs including an iconic “stunning” venue.

The popular pub chain has closed locations across the UK, including Stafford, London, Halifax and Penarth.

1

The Geroge, Wanstead Wetherspoons is set to pull down their shutters for good on October 13.

Punters took to social media to express their frustrations over the closure of another popular branch.

One user wrote: “That’s sad.”

“My local. A very popular pub,” another commented.

The George had been a favourite among locals, who often left glowing reviews about the pub.

“Good service, competitively priced drinks and tasty food,” a user said.

Another added: “Excellent staff and well-kept beer at low prices.”

It comes after the Wetherspoons revealed that five pubs had been put up for sale, four of which are already under offer.

The Ivor Davies in Cardiff is up for sale, while the four pubs under offer are the Sir Daniel Arms in Swindon, the Hain Line in St Ives, the Foot of the Walk in Leith and the Quay in Poole

Under offer may mean that a bid is being considered or has been accepted.

But as the sale has not been finalised the pub remains on the market

Wetherspoons regularly reviews the branches it has up for sale and has often taken venues off the market to continue operating as part of the pub chain.

In its annual report published today, the pub giant said the disposal of the 27 pubs it has closed gave rise to a cash inflow of £8.9 million.

Wetherspoons has sold the freehold of premises it owned outright and returned others to their landlords.

The pub sites sold may reopen to welcome drinkers under their new owners.

Landlords could also find new tenants, so Wetherspoons’ departure doesn’t necessarily mean the loss of a pub for locals.

The sites closed are:

• The Saltoun Inn, Fraserburgh – sold
• Widow Frost, Mansfield – sold
• General Sir Redvers Buller, Crediton – sold
• Butler’s Bell, Stafford – sold
• Coronet, Holloway Road, London – sold
• White Hart, Todmorden – sold
• Asparagus, Battersea – sold
• Mock Beggar Hall, Moreton – sold
• Sir Norman Rae, Shipley – sold
• Lord Arthur Lee, Fareham – sold
• Market Cross, Holywell – sold
• The Cross Keys, Peebles – sold
• The Regent, Kirkby in Ashfield – sold
• An Geata Arundel, Waterford – sold
• Jolly Sailor, Hanham – sold
• Millers Well, Purley, Halifax – sold
• The London & Rye in Rushey Green, Catford – sold
• Bankers Draft, Eltham – returned to landlord
• Sir John Arderne, Newark – returned to landlord
• Night Jar, Ferndown – returned to landlord
• Moon and Bell, Loughborough – returned to landlord
• Capitol, Forest Hill – returned to landlord
• Hart and Spool, Borehamwood – returned to landlord
• Alfred Herring, Palmers Green – returned to landlord
• Tichenham Inn, Ickenham – returned to landlord
• Bears Head, Penarth – returned to landlord

Wetherspoons has also opened two new sites in the last 12 months – The Captain Flinders near Euston Station and the Star Light at Heathrow Airport, and The Grand Assembly in Marlow.

Several sites have also been expanded including the Red Lion,
Skegness; the Talk of the Town, Paignton; the Albany Palace, Trowbridge and the Mile Castle, Newcastle.

It follows Wetherspoons being sued for more than £200,000 after a drinker fell to his death from a second-floor window.

And the popular pub chain’s 12-day beer festival will be back with a bang tomorrow with some ales selling for less than £2 a pint.

CHRISTMAS has come early for shoppers at this department store after they discovered a £30 festive essential is scanning for just 50p.

Savvy customers have been rushing to House of Fraser‘s website to bag up the Xmas item which has been described as “brilliant”.

1

The department store giant has sent fans wild by selling a personalised “Mrs Gonk Stocking” for under a pound which is 98 per cent cheaper than the original price.

It was originally priced at a whopping £29.99 – saving buyers an unbelievable £29.49.

One customer shared the find on Facebook and posted a screenshot of the item, captioning: “House of Fraser UK… 50p!”

Excited users left comments under the post and tagged their friends.

One user said: “They have the Mr Gonk aswell for 50p!”

Another commented: “I ordered 4 of these last week, they’re brilliant for the price.”

And: “Yeah I got it, it’s lovely!”

However do bear in mind that when prices are reduced by this much it’s usually in order for stores to clear excess stock, so availability will vary.

It’s always best to phone ahead to your local shop to check what they have available to avoid disappointment.

It always pays to compare prices so you know you’re getting the best deal.

There are plenty of comparison websites out there that’ll check prices for you – so don’t be left paying more than you have to.

Most of them work by comparing the prices across hundreds of retailers.

Google Shopping is a tool that lets users search for and compare prices for products across the web.

Simply type in keywords, or a product number, to bring up search results.

Christmas fanatics have also spotted a festive essential on offer at Home Bargains.

Shoppers are racing to their nearest store to buy £4 Polar Express slippers in time for the big day.

Last month House of Fraser shoppers were hit by delivery chaos with hundreds waiting weeks for parcels that remain undelivered.

Frustrated shoppers have struggled to reach customer service to request refunds, leaving those affected out of pocket.

The issues have plagued those who placed online orders on the retailer’s website since late August.

Angry customers have taken to social media to vent their fury, branding the company’s response as “appalling.”

Money-Saving Tips from Gemma Bird: Save £2k Before Christmas

Advertisement

IF youre’ looking to save cash, you’ve come to the right place, as here, Gemma Bird has shared her top tips that’ll save you £2k before Christmas.

• Set a budget: Track your spending and create a realistic budget.
• Cut unnecessary costs: Cancel unused subscriptions and avoid impulse buys.
• Meal planning: Plan meals to reduce grocery bills and avoid takeaways.
• Sell unwanted items: Declutter and sell items online for extra cash.
• Cashback and discounts: Use cashback sites and hunt for discount codes.
• DIY gifts: Make personalised gifts to save money and add a personal touch.
• Pick up a seasonal shift: A really easy way to pick up a bit of extra cash in the winter is to find yourself some seasonal work.

Follow these practical tips from Gemma Bird to boost your savings before the festive season!

A RESTAURANT dubbed one of “Britain’s best” has announced it’s closing down, sparking cries from “gutted” fans.

The Swansea venue is owned by couple April and Chris Napier who featured on BBC’s Britain’s Top Takeaways in 2022, representing their previous venture.

3

3

Advertisement

3

Their current restaurant, Bangkok, is now set to close at the start of next month to the disappointment of many fans.

Diners were heartbroken at the news and took to social media to express their sadness.

Under the restaurant’s announcement on Facebook, one user said: “Such a shame.

“It was lovely watching you guys grow.”

Another added: “Gutted, to see you close always lovely food and fantastic service.”

Other commenters expressed how “sad” they were at the announcement and for the loss of the “amazing food” it provides.

Many even tagged their friends and family in the hope to visit the restaurant “one last time” before it shuts for goods.

The restaurant made its closure announcement on Facebook yesterday.

The post read: “It is with a heavy heart and this may come as a shock that we announce the closing of our restaurant.

“As much as we have loved serving you over the years (5 years in the takeaway and 2 years in the restaurant), we have made the difficult decision to step away as we have sacrificed a lot of family times and now we would love to focus on our family/work life balance.

“Thank you so much for your incredible support to our little family business and for being a part of our journey.

“We can honestly say we’ve made lots of great memories and achieved so much during the years as well as some customers that we’ve come to be friends with.

“These will be treasured forever.”

The restaurant’s final day of service will be on Sunday November 3.

However, the venue confirmed that this is “not the end” for the Thai food joint.

It said it plans to return with pop-ups in the “near future”.

The restaurant added: “[We] can’t wait to share more meals and moments with you.”

A HUGE shake up of pension schemes could boost retirement savings for millions of workers.

A new type of workplace pension, known as Collective Defined Contribution (CDC), recently launched and could soon be expanded.

1

Currently ,there are two main types of pensions through employers – defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC).

DB pensions pay you a guaranteed income in retirement based on your salary, while with DC pensions, you build up a pot of money and then take an income from it after you stop working.

CDC pension schemes, on the other hand, are where employer and member contributions are pooled together into a collective fund and invested, with the aim of growing this pool of money over time.

Workers are then given a target pension income they will be able to take once they retire.

Companies in the UK have been able to offer CDC pensions since 2022, when new rules gave them the go ahead, and Royal Mail this week became the first company to launch one.

Now, the scheme could be expanded so that millions more workers can take advantage after the Government launched a new consultation.

It’s proposing that access should be broadened by allowing a wider range of businesses and employees to sign up.

As it stands, only single companies, or companies connected to them, can set up CDC schemes.

But the Government wants schemes to be open to multiple, unconnected employers, making the schemes more accessible.

Minister for Pensions, Emma Reynolds, said: “We are seizing this exciting opportunity to modernise our pensions market to deliver better outcomes for millions of workers.

“People work hard to put money aside for their pension with every pay cheque. This significant innovation will offer a more predictable income and greater finance security for future pensioners.”

The consultation is calling for views from employers, industry experts, pension providers and the public on draft regulations and their potential impact.

It will run for six weeks – until November 19.

It comes after Chancellor Rachel Reeves launched a huge review of pension schemes that aims to add over £11,000 extra to a typical retirement pot.

What do the experts say?

Experts and others in the industry are being encouraged to take part in the consultation, and many see it as a positive for the UK workforce.

Nausicaa Delfas, chief executive of The Pensions Regulator, said: “Multi-employer CDC pension schemes offer the potential to deliver better outcomes for thousands of UK pension savers, turning a pension pot into a retirement income.

“I encourage industry to take part in the consultation and we look forward to working with Government to develop an appropriate regulatory regime.”

Others say that the announcement of the consultation shows the current government is putting CDC schemes in the spotlight.

And David Brooks, head of policy at independent consultancy Broadstone, said: “Today’s consultation and the rhetoric from the Pensions Minister suggests CDC will be a core pension policy for the current Government.

“They seem clear that CDC could be an answer to many of the issues in the current pension system – including greater investment in the UK economy – and are looking to replace the reliance on individual DC pots with pooling of collective pots.

“However, if CDC is to gain a foothold in the UK’s pension provision, then there has to be an allowance for unconnected employers to work together. If not, CDC will remain the domain of only the very largest employers.”

However, Mr Brooks pointed out that launching a new model of pension saving will likely prove a huge operational and financial challenge for smaller employers who also went through the auto-enrolment reforms in the past.

He added that there’s uncertainty over how the “club” approach – where multiple employers pool together – would work in reality.

“The design, regulation and authorisation of these schemes will also need to be implemented correctly, and the current consultation will form the bedrock of this,” he added.

In terms of what the shakeup could mean for workers, Steve Webb, former pensions minister and current partner at LCP, said it should be a good idea for many.

“In principle, these schemes could be good news for people who are looking for something more than an individual pot of money which they have to manage at retirement,” he said.

“Similar schemes have worked reasonably well in other countries such as Netherlands, Scandinavia and Canada, though with local variations in exactly how they worked.”

How does a CDC scheme differ?

Previously, workers only had two types of pensions to choose from.

DB pensions are where what you get in retirement is decided based on your salary, and you’ll be paid a set amount each year on retirement.

These schemes are not usually offered to new workers any more, apart from in some public sectors such as the NHS and teaching.

DC schemes are where contributions from you and your employer are invested and then your retirement pension depends on the size of your individual final pension pot.

CDC schemes are seen as sitting between the two, but with a CDC pension, you don’t get your own pot.

Instead, workers in your business will put money into a collective pot – with your employer contributing too.

This pot is shared between workers, with each employee drawing an income from this big fund when they reach retirement.

Mr Webb explained: “The idea of a collective DC scheme is that it falls somewhere between the two extremes of old-style Defined Benefit (DB) pensions where there is a hard promise and the employer has to bear all the risks, to new-style individual DC pensions where the risks around investment performance, inflation and how long you live are all on the individual.”

He pointed out that in a CDC you are given a target pension figure for each year you are in the scheme, and while it’s not guaranteed, it’s what you’re aiming for.

Mr Webb added: “If everything goes well you may get a bit more. If things go badly then workers and pensioners might get a bit less. This could be, for example, lower annual inflation increases than they were expecting or even – in extreme cases – a cut in pension.

“The idea is that you do all of this collectively – this means at scale (which could improve cost-effectiveness) and by pooling risks across large numbers of members of all ages.”

He also said that a particular advantage is that a CDC pension lasts as long as you do – so you don’t have to manage an individual pot in your seventies and eighties and hope it doesn’t run out.

Can I get more cash through a CDC scheme?

In theory, you could get more money when you retire under a CDC scheme.

Hargreaves Lansdown’s senior pensions and retirement analyst, Helen Morrissey, previously told The Sun that this is because workers of different ages will invest into a collective pot of money.

This allows cash to be invested in “higher risk investments that might not be otherwise possible for older workers”, she said.

This is because there is a much bigger pot of money to invest, compared to your own individual pot.

The bigger the amount you invest, potentially the bigger the profit you could make – but you are in no way guaranteed a return.

“If times are tough on the stock market, or people – especially those in ill health – transfer out, then the scheme may have to reduce the income it aims to pay out,” she said.

How can I sign up?

Your employer will have to set up a CDC scheme before you can apply to it.

Employers can set themselves up with a CDC scheme if it’s currently an option for them.

It’s worth getting in touch with your company to see whether it is planning to offer this option or not.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories