Whitbread to reduce number of job cuts by half
According to The Times, the Beefeater and Brewers Fayre operator could reduce the 6,000 job losses it originally announced by more than half.
A consultation process ends tomorrow (13 November) with Whitbread, which also owns the Bar + Block steakhouse concept and the Premier Inn hotel chain, expected to tell staff that a 'significant number' of the job cuts will no longer be needed.
The revised number of redundancies is not confirmed, although one analyst suggested it could be well under half the original target.
It is believed the decision has been based on the Chancellor's recent extension of the furlough scheme through to March next year, hopes that a vaccine could soon become available, and staff switching to reduced hours or accepting redeployment.
A spokesman for the company told The Times: “We are still working through the detail and potential implications.”
Whitbread said in September that it was to cut up to 6,000 jobs, equating to about 18% of its workforce, across its hotel and restaurant brands after a collapse in sales caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
At the time the group reported that total sales for the six months to 27 August 2020 were down 77.2% year-on-year as a result of the forced closure of most of its sites.
