Five restaurants in Greater Manchester are set to permanently close after Whitbread confirmed plans to shut down a range of its pub chains. The closures affect three Beefeater and two Brewers Fayre sites.
Closure dates and scope
More than 100 Beefeater restaurants will close on September 10, while the 89-strong Brewers Fayre chain will shut on September 7. Other Whitbread brands such as Bar + Block, Table Table, and Cookhouse + Pub are closing earlier on September 3. About 200 sites will close in total.
The decision was revealed in April as part of a five-year strategy to cut around 3,800 jobs and make £250 million in cost savings. Whitbread plans to replace the chains with restaurants inside Premier Inn hotels, which it says is more efficient and popular with guests.
Greater Manchester closures
Beefeater restaurants closing: Heaton Park in Crumpsall, Quay House in Salford Quays, and Whitegate Inn in Chadderton. Brewers Fayre restaurants closing: Stable Gate in Denton and Wheatlea Park in Wigan.
Whitbread's strategy
Whitbread is still aiming to increase its hotel room count to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year, up from approximately 86,600. In April, chief executive Dominic Paul said: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.” He added: “This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.”
