Hotel and restaurant group Whitbread has announced it will create 10,000 new jobs in the UK over the next three years.
The new jobs will come as a result of Whitbread’s rapid expansion of its Premier Inn and Costa Coffee businesses, which already saw the creation of 2,500 jobs in the 2011/12 period.
Whitbread increased the number of Costa Coffee stores in the UK by 158 to 1,375 during the last year, and now has plans for an additional 10,000 Premier Inn rooms.
In its latest trading update released today, Whitbread reported total sales growth of 11 per cent for the 50 weeks to 16 February 2012, adding that it expects to report in April a full year of double digit earnings growth, in line with expectations. Chief executive Andy Harrison said that industry data has continued to show a soft hotel market in the UK.
Commenting on the growth of Costa, Harrison said: “Costa has delivered excellent results this year, with total sales increasing by 25 per cent, driven by good like-for-like sales growth and record new store openings of 359 stores (306 net of closures). This includes 71 new stores in China, bringing our presence there to 163 stores.
“We are approaching the first anniversary of the acquisition of Coffee Nation and the launch of Costa Express. We have been very pleased by the positive customer reaction and our growth plans for this business are ahead of our original expectations.”
In April 2011 Whitbread outlined growth milestones (to 2015/16) to increase the number of Premier Inn UK rooms by nearly 50 per cent to at least 65,000; add 80 to 100 new restaurants; and nearly double the size of Costa, with global system sales of £1.3 billion and 3,500 stores worldwide.
Whitbread is the UK’s largest hotel and restaurant group, operating businesses in budget hotels, restaurants and coffee shops. Its brands are Premier Inn, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Taybarns and Costa. In the UK, the company serves over 11 million customers every month in around 2,000 outlets.
Whitbread employs over 40,000 people globally. In the six months ending 1 September 2011, the company reported a 10.7 per cent increase in group revenue to £891.3 million, and underlying profit before tax of £174.9 million, up 15.2 per cent.
