Premier Inn owner sees total sales up for third quarter

Whitbread, the owner of Premier Inn, has reported total sales growth of 2.5% for the hotel brand in its Q3 trade report.

The UK business achieved a total accommodation sales growth of 3.5% in the third quarter, which group said reflected a “strong central London market and a weak regional market”.

Additionally, over 2,000 new rooms have been added in FY19 so far, and the group said “occupancy remained” high at over 80%.

Whitbread said it is now a “focused hotel business”, with over 800 hotels in the UK, Germany and the Middle East operating under the Premier Inn brand, and a “committed pipeline of over 20,000 additional rooms”.

Whitbread CEO Alison Brittain said: “We are cautious about the macro environment for the next financial year due to increased uncertainty and continuing high inflation. Although we are confident in our ability to create value from ongoing investment in the UK and increasing investment in international growth, in this environment we expect underlying profit before tax in FY20 to be consistent with this year.”

She added: “Our unique model and leading market position in the UK puts us in a strong position to capture structural growth opportunities in the UK and internationally.

“Investing in growth through our disciplined approach to capital allocation ensures we can create sustainable value for shareholders over the longer-term. We look forward to presenting this in further detail at our Capital Markets Day.”