Operation of hotels, restaurants and coffee shops,Whitbread Group Plc is a UK based hospitality company, managing several popular brands, including Premier Inn, Table Table, Brewers Fayre, Taybarns, Beefeater and Costa Coffee. The company�s headquarters are based in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. The company was founded as a brewery by Samuel Whitbread and Thomas Shewell in 1799 but, after a long history of brewing, the company decided in 2001 to sell all its breweries and brewing interests to Interbrew. Today the group employs over 40,000 people and serves 10 million customers every month in over 2,000 outlets across the UK.

,Final Ex-Dividend Date MAY-2011

Whitbread PLC is the UK's largest hotel and restaurant group operating market-leading businesses in budget hotels, restaurants and coffee shops. Its well-loved brands are Premier Inn, Beefeater, Brewers Fayre, Table Table, Taybarns and Costa.


Whitbread PLC employs over 40,000 people globally and serves over 11 million customers every month in over 2,000 outlets across the UK.


Whitbread has outlined five-year growth milestones (to 2015/16) to increase the number of Premier Inn UK rooms by nearly 50% to at least 65,000, add 80-100 new Restaurants and to nearly double the size of Costa with global system sales of £1.3bn and 3,500 stores worldwide.

Half Year Results

Financial Highlights

· Total revenue up 13.0% to £1,293.2 million (2013/14: £1,144.7 million)
· Group like for like sales1 up 7.0%
· Underlying profit2 before tax up 18.5% to £256.0 million (2013/14: £216.1 million)
· Underlying basic EPS up 21.5% to 111.69p (2013/14: 91.94p)
· Interim dividend up 15.6% to 25.20p (2013/14: 21.80p)
· Hotels and Restaurants underlying profit2 up 15.0% to £225.0 million (2013/14: £195.7 million)
· Costa underlying profit2 up 20.5% to £52.4 million (2013/14: £43.5 million)
· Premier Inn total sales up 14.7%, like for like sales1 up 9.6% and total revpar up 8.8%
· Costa total sales up 16.9%, worldwide system sales up 15.5% and like for like sales1 up 6.1%
· Group return on capital3 increased to 15.8% (2013/14: 14.4%)
· Strong cash flow with EBITDA4 up 17.1% to £343.1 million (2013/14: £293.0 million)
· Strong balance sheet: net debt £467.2 million (£391.6 million at 27th February 2014)

Statutory Highlights

· Profit after tax and exceptional items up 7.2% to £188.6 million (2013/14: £175.9 million). Last year's profit benefited from an exceptional deferred tax credit of £25.1 million following the decrease in the corporation tax rate
· Total basic EPS 105.43p up 6.1% (2013/14: 99.33p)

Investing for future profit growth

· On track for 2016 and 2018 growth milestones
· Expected capital expenditure of around £500 million this year, growing our hotel pipeline and Costa estate and further improving our customer experience
· Building Premier Inn and Costa international profit growth platforms
· 1,300 new UK jobs created by Whitbread brands, with a further 10,000 expected over the next three years

Trading Statement

Final Results

· Group like for like sales2 growth of 6.5%
· Premier Inn total sales growth of 15.3% and like for like sales up 9.1%
· Costa total sales growth of 17.9%, system sales up 16.6% and UK like for like sales up 6.0%
· Group return on capital3 increased to 15.7% (2013/14: 15.3%)
· Strong cash generated from operations of £714.2 million which funded capital investment4 of £565.3 million
· Strong balance sheet with year end net debt of £583.2 million (2013/14: £391.6 million)

Statutory Highlights
· Profit for the year up 13.2% to £366.1 million (2013/14: £323.4 million)
· Total basic EPS 204.81p up 11.9% (2013/14: 182.98p)

more....

terrific chart, but confess its not even a share that i considered, even though i rate costa and premier inns very highly

Toying with 2 year lows.

Barclays Capital Equal weight 3,844.00 4,600.00 4,600.00 Retains.

Trading Update

Total sales growth of 10.4%

On track to deliver full year results in line with expectations

Trading highlights:

Hotels and Restaurants
· Premier Inn has continued to win UK market share, growing total sales*2 for the 50 weeks by 11.1%, like for like sales by 4.4%, total revpar by 3.6% and the number of rooms available by 7.6%. Total occupancy remained high, in line with last year, at 81.1% and total room nights sold increased by 7.4% to 17.0 million.

· In the quarter, Premier Inn grew total sales by 7.3%, driven by a 6.9% increase in the number of rooms available, and occupancy increased by 0.3% pts to 71.4%. Like for like sales grew by 2.2%, ahead of our like for like revpar growth of 0.4%, due to our substantial extensions programme.

· Following the trend we highlighted in December, the market has continued to show a divergence in performance in the quarter between the regional and London hotel markets. In the regions Premier Inn grew total sales by 8.3%, with a 6.8% increase in rooms available, including c.2% from extensions. Total and like for like revpar grew by 1.5% and 1.4% respectively. Our regional occupancy remained high compared to the market at 70.6%, up 0.5% pts year on year. Total regional market revpar grew by 3.4% and the Midscale and Economy*3 sector grew total revpar by 4.5%.

· In London, despite a softer hotel market, Premier Inn grew total sales by 3.6% in the quarter, with an 8.0% increase in rooms available. Our total London revpar and occupancy declined, broadly in line with the market, by 3.6% and 1.5% pts respectively albeit our occupancy remained high at 76.1%. Total London market revpar declined by 3.3% and revpar for the Midscale and Economy sector was down 2.2%.

· Restaurants delivered total sales growth of 2.2% and like for like sales growth of 1.0% for the 50 weeks, ahead of our competitor set*4.

Costa

· Costa grew its worldwide total sales by 14.2% and like for like UK sales by 3.0% for the 50 weeks.
· Year to date Costa grew worldwide system sales by 13.1% to £1,516 million (13.4% at constant currency). Within this, franchise system sales grew by 10.6% to £572 million.
· UK Retail system sales, grew by 14.1% to £833 million with equity stores growing like for like sales by 3.0%. We opened 103 net new UK stores.
· Costa Enterprises (including Costa Express UK & International) delivered system sales of £374 million, up 12.6%. Costa Express maintained its success with the installation of a further 921 Costa Express machines*5 taking the total to 5,213.
· International system sales grew by 11.0% to £309 million (12.4% at constant currency). 79 net new stores were opened in the period with 41 in EMEI and 38 in Asia.

Group

This year we shall open around 5,500 new UK Premier Inn rooms, including c.1,500 rooms from extensions, and plan to open a further c.5,000 new UK rooms next year, including c.1,700 rooms from our hotel extensions programme, which will have a c. 1% impact on our like for like revpar. For Costa this year we expect to open c.200 net new stores worldwide and install around 950 Costa Express machines and we plan to open a further c.230 net new stores worldwide and install around 1,000 Costa Express machines next year.

Over the next year, as previously advised, we are planning an additional P&L investment, which we estimate to be c.£15 million. Our capital investment of c.£700 million will remain broadly the same as we continue to drive our organic growth and further improve the quality and consistency of our customer offer. Our strong freehold backing provides us the opportunity to recycle capital and we expect to carry out a sale and lease back transaction during next year. We remain on track to deliver on our growth milestones, which will enable us to create sustainable shareholder value.

Our strong financial position remains unchanged.

just bought into these (3836) as though the figures weren't the greatest, they certainly weren't bad, so i thought 5% drop was excessive ..... and yes, they have dropped tad since, but not remotely concerned as am very happy to hold

after a dull few weeks, this has certainly perked up in the last few days
look at the chart and it will give a cluue as to why it may be worth a dabble ...... 25/50 dma being challenged

Whitbread PLC results for the 53 week financial year to 3 March 2016


· Group total sales growth of 12.0% and like for like sales2 growth of 3.0%
· Premier Inn total sales growth of 12.9% and like for like sales up 4.2%
· Costa total sales growth of 15.9%, system sales up 15.3% and UK like for like sales up 2.9%
· Group return on capital3 of 15.3% (2014/15: 15.7%) includes investments in future hotel openings
· Strong cash generated from operations of £782.2 million which funded capital investment4 of £724.9 million
· Strong balance sheet with year-end net debt of £909.8 million (2014/15: £583.2 million)

Numis Hold 3,969.00 4,000.00 4,000.00 Reiterates

Panmure Gordon Hold 3,969.00 3,800.00 3,800.00 Reiterates

sp has caught fright this morning on the back of RTN's profit warning and thus WTB's own Costa brand
i don't know what proportion Costa contributes to WTB's profits, but the fall is looking overdone
chart shows this to be a good support level - 25/50 dms pretty much coincide - but worth hanging back just for now though perhaps not for long

bugger ..... missed the bottom as went out shopping but just bought a few at 3873 instead of <3860 just b4 i went

The "Trouble" must have stopped going in Costa every week day!!!

looks like a "buy" to me ..... but not sure if i want to find funds to do so

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had a few shillings sitting in my sipp a/c so have bought a few

a small piece of fortune ..... for some reason yesterday's order for my sipp did not register, so have bought 60p cheaper :-)

I am keeping powder dry on this one for a bit longer.

mine is for sipp, so a long term hold anyway

i reckon the company's hotels etc must benefit from weaker £

I have no doubt about the quality of the business. Just looking at support levels on chart.

3400 looks a "must buy" if it gets that low

That's exactly where I am looking. :)