250 jobs culled at Premier Inn owner

WHITBREAD is cutting at least 250 management jobs from its restaurant business as part of a transformation programme.

The Premier Inn owner said the changes would create a more ‘efficient and effective’ business.

Whitbread has already revealed it will spin off the Costa Coffee brand as a separate business. The group had been under pressure from hedge funds to break up the business due to the contrasting nature of Premier Inn and Costa.

However, it is understood that the latest restructuring is unrelated to the demerger.

A Whitbread spokesman said it was consulting with staff affected to find alternative roles for them.

‘We’re proposing to simplify the management teams in our restaurants’ business,’ the spokesman said. ‘Regrettably however, the proposed changes would result in a number of managers leaving the business.’