Premier Inn Owner May Cut 250 Head Office Roles In Proposed Restructuring

By Dave Simpson
Premier Inn Owner May Cut 250 Head Office Roles In Proposed Restructuring

Premier Inn owner Whitbread has said that it may cut approximately 250 head office roles as part of a proposed restructuring.

"Whilst we're delighted to re-open our doors, we are acutely aware that demand and revenue remain reduced. We anticipate this will be the case for some time to come," a company spokeswoman told Reuters.

Whitbread, which has approximately 1,300 head office employees, said that some of the proposed job losses will be offset with the creation of approximately 75 new roles, and that final numbers will be confirmed in September.

The owner of brands such as Premier Inn, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Bar + Block has cut costs, completed a £1 billion rights issue and utilised government support to weather the crisis.

The 278-year company that said it had no income while its hotels and restaurants were in hibernation, which had a considerable effect on its cash outflow.

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Reopenings

Earlier this month, the company said that it had opened more than 270 hotels and 24 restaurants of its more than 1,200 Premier Inn hotels and pubs across the UK. It has also opened all of its hotels in Germany.

Whitbread had reported an 80% fall in first-quarter like-for-like UK sales.

News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.