Whitbread bucks trend with sales rise

DESPITE difficult economic conditions, Costa and Premier Inn owner Whitbread has reported a rise in profits.

Pre-tax profits for the six months to August 28 rose by 24 per cent to £123.3 million, with like-for-like sales increasing by seven per cent.

Chairman Anthony Habgood said the results demonstrated the firm's "resilience" to the worsening conditions.

The group, which also owns restaurants including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, said the positioning of its budget brands had served it well in the current climate.

Whitbread chief executive Alan Parker said: "We have made excellent progress."