Family favourite pub chain to close more than 200 locations and axe 1,500 jobs
A FAMILY favourite pub chain is to close more than 200 locations and axe 1,500 jobs.
Whitbread plans to slash its chain of branded restaurants across the UK by more than 200 in favour of building more hotel rooms.
The hotel and restaurant company owns brands including Premier Inn, Beefeater and Brewers Fayre.
It revealed the plans in its full year results - an update on its financial condition and operations - which came out today.
Whitbread said it pans to convert 112 restaurants into hotel extensions, while closing 126 "loss-making" venues.
These restaurants will remain open as usual until they are sold.
The hospitality chain said it has already agreed to sell 21 of these restaurants for £28million.
However, it's unclear exactly which pubs and restaurants are earmarked for closure and where they are located.
The Sun has contacted Whitbread to find out and we will update this article once we hear more.
The group said the job cuts are still subject to consultation and come from its total UK workforce of 37,000 employees.
It said the move was part of a plan to “optimise” its food and drink offering to add more than 3,500 hotel rooms across its estate and increase “operational efficiencies”.
Dominic Paul, Whitbread chief executive, said: “We recognise that our transition will impact some of our team members so we will be providing support throughout this process and we are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of those affected to remain with us.”
The cuts come after Whitbread’s pre-tax profit rose 21% to £452 million for the year ending February 29.
It follows reports that Whitbread was looking to speed up plans to sell hundreds of its pubs and restaurants.
The chain was said to have marked at least 250 of its 440 pubs and restaurants for sale, most of which are located close to Premier Inn hotels.