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Sales growth slows at Whitbread
Sales growth at Whitbread, owner of hotel chain Premier Inn and Costa Coffee, slowed in the fourth quarter as consumers struggled with a lack of disposable income.
Overall group sales rose 1.8 per cent in the 11 weeks to February 16, but like-for-like sales at Premier Inn fell by 0.9 per cent due to poor demand for cheap hotel rooms outside London.
Andy Harrison, Chief Executive of Whitbread, commented: “Whitbread has delivered good total sales growth of 11.0% for the year in difficult economic conditions, as we continue to invest in our strong brands.”
“We expect to report in April another full year of double digit earnings growth, in line with expectations.”