The Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, and Bar+Block operator said the sales dip was mitigated by a positive performance from its integrated restaurants.
In line with expectations
Within the UK, F&B sales were in line with expectations, reducing 11%. Like-for-like F&B sales reduced 1% in the UK.
Whitbread further said its Accelerating Growth Plan remains on track, as it continues to replace more than 200 lower-returning branded restaurants with a more efficient, integrated F&B offering. The Premier Inn operator will also unlock 3,500 high-returning extension rooms, expected to deliver £100m in incremental adjusted profit before tax by FY30.
It is making “good progress” on exiting over 100 branded restaurants, and has sold 41 for a total consideration of £42m. The sale of the remaining sites is expected to be completed as planned.
Driving guest scores
Still, F&B remains a core part of the offer; Whitbread’s new integrated concept, along with several commercial initiatives, is helping drive positive guest scores and F&B revenues.
Overall, group statutory revenue was down 2% from £1,570m in H1 FY25 to £1,541m. Adjusted profit before tax stood at £316m, down 7% from £340m last year.
The results reflected broadly flat UK accommodation sales and positive momentum in Premier Inn Germany, offset by the anticipated lower F&B sales, according to Whitbread.
The company last year revealed it planned to optimise the food offer to enhance the proposition for Premier Inn hotel guests and increase efficiencies through converting 112 lower-returning branded restaurants into new rooms after transferring the delivery of F&B to an integrated restaurant and exiting 126 underperforming restaurants.
At the end of 2024 Whitbread accepted offers on 51 of its sites for £56m.
This story was originally published on the Morning Advertiser’s sister site, MCA. You can read it here.
