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Case Study

JD Wetherspoon – Migrating From Sitecore to WordPress

JD Wetherspoon is one of the UK’s largest pub chains, with a major digital presence spanning its pub, hotel, investor and recruitment sites. Its main website, built on Sitecore in 2015, had become difficult to manage and no longer met the needs of the internal marketing team.

 

As the long-term digital partner of JD Wetherspoon, we were asked to migrate the site to WordPress, providing a more flexible, user-friendly CMS, improving performance and supporting future growth.

Hospitality Personalisation WordPress Development
A historic pub building with a light blue facade, featuring large windows and decorative elements. Patrons gather outside near a sign that reads "Lloyds No. 1," surrounded by greenery.

Introduction

Transforming JD Wetherspoon’s Digital Presence: From Sitecore to WordPress

Migrating the JD Wetherspoon websites from Sitecore to WordPress marked a major digital shift. The previous platform was costly, inflexible, and limited content creation. They needed a scalable solution to boost efficiency and improve the user experience.

 

Filter delivered a WordPress Multisite platform, consolidating hotel, career and investor sites under one architecture. Shared plugins, blocks and templates now allow the marketing team to manage content independently.

 

The result is a flexible platform that reduces development overhead, improves user experience and puts content control back with the team.

Relationship Length

Long-term digital partner

Focus

A CMS-migration to support ongoing scalability for a well-known UK brand

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Problem Problem

  • Sitecore platform limited agility and content control
  • Content updates were slow and resource-heavy
  • No longer met business needs for speed and flexibility

Solution Solution

  • Migrated to a WordPress Multisite with custom blocks and shared theme
  • Integrated secure microservices and PersonalizeWP for dynamic content
  • Enhanced performance, control and content relevance

Result Result

  • Faster, more intuitive content management
  • Improved site speed and Core Web Vitals
  • Higher engagement and quicker campaign rollouts

A laptop screen displays a website where users can search for Wetherspoon pubs or hotels. The page features images of food, a search bar, and a link to the Wetherspoon news magazine.

The Challenge

Migrating the JD Wetherspoon sites from Sitecore to WordPress involved transitioning a high volume of content, which required significant refactoring to suit WordPress database structures and the Block Editor.

Filter also restructured the site’s architecture while preserving SEO rankings through careful redirects, sitemaps and optimisation.

Performance-critical features like pub data, menus and allergen information were moved into secure microservices, allowing the marketing team to focus on content rather than complex technical workflows.

Our Approach

Filter started with planning and UX/UI design to ensure the platform supported long-term business goals and was intuitive for daily use. Mobile-first templates, custom blocks and a design system were built using the Block Editor and applied across the WordPress Multisite network.

Business data was moved into integrated microservices with simple interfaces, giving internal teams more control.

Filter also used PersonalizeWP, our very own personalisation plugin for WordPress, enabling the team to show timely, relevant content, like Steak Club promotions on Tuesday afternoons and use behavioural data to segment users for more targeted experiences.

A laptop displays the Wetherspoon website, featuring information on food and drinks. Surrounding icons highlight user research, competitor analysis, prioritization, and focus groups, indicating a strategy for developing customer insights and enhancing the digital experience.
A laptop and smartphone display the Wetherspoon website's contact page, featuring options to reach customer service and submit inquiries. The design emphasizes accessibility and user-friendly navigation.

Results

The migration to WordPress has given JD Wetherspoon a faster, more flexible platform, improving efficiency and empowering the marketing team with full control over content and design.

Optimised architecture, streamlined navigation and custom blocks have boosted Core Web Vitals, mobile speed and engagement.

More users are using pub search and finding relevant content, while the Block Editor makes it easy to launch campaigns and update the site without developer input.

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Why This Story Matters

This project shows how the right technology can unlock creative freedom and long-term scalability.

By moving from a restrictive enterprise CMS to a flexible WordPress Multisite platform with custom UX and personalisation, JD Wetherspoon now has a system that supports complex content strategies, streamlines internal workflows, and delivers more relevant, timely experiences for customers, all while enabling future digital growth.

Three mobile screens displaying the Wetherspoon app: one features a Christmas dining promotion, the second allows users to search for local pubs, and the third showcases food and drink options available.

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