Whitbread slashes 3,800 jobs, closes Beefeater/Brewers Fayre amid cost pressures. UK-born brewing-to-hospitality giant since 1742, now cost-cutting mode.
Whitbread has announced a five-year plan that includes cutting about 3,800 UK and Ireland roles and closing the remaining Beefeater and Brewers Fayre restaurants as part of a shift to a pure‑hotel model, funded by selling £1.5bn of freehold properties. The group is pursuing cost savings amid tax rises and activist investor pressure, with redeployment offered where possible.