Whitbread, Premier Inn’s parent company, said it was making the change to save money after it was impacted financially by tax adjustments in Rachel Reeves’ budget
Premier Inn’s parent company is set to close down two of the UK’s iconic restaurant chains, with nearly hundreds of locations disappearing from national high streets for good.
Whitbread announced today that it would close the remainder of its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants, shutting nearly 200 locations and cutting 3,800 jobs. The cuts, to be made across the UK and Ireland, come as part of a new five-year strategy which will see the firm attempt to make a quarter of a billion pounds in cost savings while overhauling its restaurants.
While the firm said it would be able to retain the vast majority of its 30,000-strong workforce, the cuts will see roughly 12 percent of employees laid off across the closed locations.
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The restaurants are typically located next to or inside Premier Inn hotels, and have been a staple for the millions of people who visit per year. The closures will mean Beefeater restaurants will cease operations after more than 50 years in business, with Brewers Fayre having been set to celebrate the same milestone in 2029.
Whitbread has blamed Rachel Reeves ‘ budget, with its chief executive Dominic Paul saying the move was necessary “in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and National Insurance”.
In practice, it will mean Whitbread selling and leasing back up to £1.5 billion of its freehold properties, and will “recycle” the amount to “fund future growth”. Speaking about the plan, Mr Paul said: “We plan to convert all our remaining branded restaurants to an integrated food and beverage offer that is preferred by our hotel guests and will unlock the addition of more highly profitable extension rooms.”
“Our continued efforts to drive our commercial plan and efficiencies will extend our market-leading position and allow us to take share from our competitors, many of which are struggling to grow.”
Under the plan, the following Brewers Fayre restaurants will close:
- Abergavenny (Abergavenny)
- Afon Conwy (Conwy)
- Aire & Calder (Yorkshire)
- Bankhead Gate (Fife)
- Barrow-in-Furness (Cumbria)
- Barry Island (Vale of Glamorgan)
- Bedford South (Bedfordshire)
- Bicester (Oxfordshire)
- Bideford (Devon)
- Bobbing Apple (Kent)
- Brampton Hut (Cambridgeshire)
- Brookers Oast (Kent)
- Burton House (Lincolnshire)
- The Carousel (Yorkshire)
- Castlewood (Derbyshire)
- Central Park (Warwickshire)
- Cepen Park (Wiltshire)
- Chafford Hundred (Essex)
- Chequers Corner (Essex)
- Cheswold Lodge (Yorkshire)
- The Clarence Pier (Hampshire)
- Cockermouth (Cumbria)
- Cottams Field (Lancashire)
- Craig House (Edinburgh)
- Crossways (Caerphilly)
- Dalesway (Yorkshire)
- Derry City (Northern Ireland)
- The Drove (Sussex)
- Duke of York (Kent)
- Exeter (Devon)
- The Farrier (Lincolnshire)
- Flagstaff Island (Leicestershire)
- Freebridge Farm (Norfolk)
- Glastonbury (Somerset)
- Gordano Gate (Bristol)
- The Hampton (Peterborough)
- Hanley (Staffordshire)
- The Harbour (Northern Ireland)
- The Howgate (Cumbria)
- Inn On The Quay (Devon)
- Inshes Gate (Highland)
- Kembrey Inn (Wiltshire)
- Kincardine Way (Falkirk)
- King William IV (Nottinghamshire)
- Lakeland Gate (Cumbria)
- Lewins Mead (Bristol)
- Lock Keeper (Derbyshire)
- Lodmoor (Dorset)
- Loggans Moor (Cornwall)
- Mains of Balquharn (Aberdeenshire)
- The Marina (Leicestershire)
- The Mayflower (Essex)
- Minehead (Somerset)
- Monkey Puzzle (Hampshire)
- Mulberry Tree (Essex)
- Newhaven Quay (Edinburgh)
- Oakenhurst Farm (Lancashire)
- Oaks (Norfolk)
- Ocean Park (Cardiff)
- Ocean Plaza (Merseyside)
- Old Nelson (Gloucestershire)
- Old West Quay (County Durham)
- Orbital (Staffordshire)
- Papermill (Buckinghamshire)
- Pirnhall Inn (Stirlingshire)
- Queens Crossing (Edinburgh)
- The Redwood (Staffordshire)
- Rhubarb Triangle (Yorkshire)
- Rising Sun (Hertfordshire)
- Royal Quays (Newcastle)
- The Sandpiper (Carmarthenshire)
- Stable Gate (Lancashire)
- The Swallow (Suffolk)
- Swansea Vale (Swansea)
- Telford Lodge (Northamptonshire)
- Tindale Crossing (County Durham)
- Tirfounder Fields (Rhondda Cynon Taff)
- Turnpike (Yorkshire)
- Victoria Park (Gwent)
- Walsall (West Midlands)
- Water Mill (Yorkshire)
- The Wessex Flyer (Bristol)
- The Wessington (Sunderland)
- Wheatlea Park (Lancashire)
- Whittle Inn (Gloucestershire)
- Widnes (Cheshire)
- Willen Dragon (Buckinghamshire)
- The Windmill (Sussex)
- Winsor House (Greater London)
The following Beefeater restaurants are set to close:
- The Anchor (Lincolnshire)
- The Applecart (Oxford)
- Badgers Sett (Worcestershire)
- Bagle Brook (Port Talbot)
- Balmoral Inn (Hampshire)
- The Barn (Buckinghamshire)
- The Beacon (Kent)
- The Belgrave (Devon)
- Bentley Green (West Midlands)
- Border Gate (Cumbria)
- The Brache (Bedfordshire)
- The Brecks (South Yorkshire)
- Broomside Park (County Durham)
- The Bull (Kent)
- Carnon Inn (Cornwall)
- Centre (Dundee)
- The Coldra (Newport)
- Countess Wear (Devon)
- The Cricketers (Surrey)
- Crossbush (Sussex)
- Crows Nest (Hertfordshire)
- Deer Park (West Lothian)
- The Dukes Worksop (Nottingham)
- Eureka Park (Kent)
- Euston Way (Shropshire)
- The Farmhouse (Cheshire)
- Farnborough (Hampshire)
- The Fountain (Greater London)
- The Foxburrow (Suffolk)
- Frome Flyer (Bristol)
- George In The Tree (West Midlands)
- The Gifford (Bristol)
- Gourdie Croft (Dundee)
- The Granary (Cambridgeshire)
- Great Oak (Hampshire)
- Great Yarmouth Seafront (Norfolk)
- Griff House (Warwickshire)
- Halfway House (Bedfordshire)
- Halifax (West Yorkshire)
- Hamilton (Glasgow)
- Harbour Lights (Hampshire)
- Harlow Mill (Essex)
- The Haywain (Essex)
- Heaton Park (Lancashire)
- The Kingswood (East Yorkshire)
- Lady Nairne (Edinburgh)
- The Ladybridge (Staffordshire)
- The Lakeside (South Yorkshire)
- Liberty Bell (Essex)
- London Woolwich (Greater London)
- The Longbow (Rhondda Cynon Taff)
- Longbridge (West Midlands)
- Longford House (Staffordshire)
- The Longwall (Oxford)
- The Lydiard (Wiltshire)
- Malta Inn (Kent)
- Manor Farm (Kent)
- Marsh Mills (Devon)
- Medina Quay (Isle of Wight)
- Mill House (Surrey)
- Mill Lodge (Lincolnshire)
- Millers Barn (Nottingham)
- The Millfield (York)
- Moor Mill (Hertfordshire)
- Morris Dancers (Lancashire)
- Morton Park (County Durham)
- Moseley Park (West Midlands)
- Oakley Hay (Northamptonshire)
- Oast & Squire (Hampshire)
- The Orchard (Worcestershire)
- Oxford Kidlington (Oxford)
- Oyster Reach (Suffolk)
- Packet Steamer (Merseyside)
- The Parkway (Surrey)
- The Pavilion (Somerset)
- The Plough (Kent)
- Preston Brook (Merseyside)
- Priory Marina (Bedfordshire)
- Quay House (Lancashire)
- Rackstraws Farm (Berkshire)
- Red Lion (Lancashire)
- Redditch (West Midlands)
- Roman Way (Nottingham)
- Sir Thomas Wyatt (Kent)
- Smugglers Haunt (Dorset)
- The Somerford (Dorset)
- The Southcote (Berkshire)
- Springwood Park (Cheshire)
- Spruce Goose (Hampshire)
- Stag & Rainbow (Merseyside)
- Strawberry Field (Essex)
- The Talpore (County Durham)
- The Three Fish (Shropshire)
- Travellers Rest (Greater London)
- The Turnpike (Northamptonshire)
- Twelve Bells (Gloucestershire)
- Walston Castle (Cardiff)
- Ware (Hertfordshire)
- The Waterfront (Swansea)
- The Watermill (Essex)
- White Hart (Sussex)
- White Lodge (Somerset)
- White Rock (Devon)
- Whitegate Inn (Lancashire)
- Whitley Bay (Northumberland)
- The Woolpack (Kent)
