Whitbread to offload 51 F&B sites for £56m

Whitbread has accepted offers on 51 F&B locations for £56m, as part of the hotel operator’s plans to exit a total of 126 branded restaurants and convert a further 112 into 3,500 rooms with an integrated F&B offering. 

According to the group, it is currently working with its advisers and “remains confident” that it will be able to exit the remainder of the F&B sites in the next 18 months. 

The group has already filed planning applications for over a third of its 112 branded restaurants to be converted into hotel rooms, with the first sites already approved and construction now underway. 

It comes as Whitbread revealed that, during the first half of FY25, its total F&B sales dropped 7%, which was due to the changes it made to a number of its branded restaurants. 

Meanwhile, the group’s F&B sales for the six weeks to 10 October fell by 14%, which Whitbread maintains is within its expectations and reflects the impact of its Accelerating Growth Plan (AGP). 

The group’s plan aims to further improve the guest experience through a “tailored” F&B offering, whilst increasing its rooms pipeline in locations where Whitbread has identified a demand. 

The Premier Inn operator said it hopes this strategy will result in a “significant” improvement to site level margins and returns.