Latest news with #Whitbread
Times
20 hours ago
- Business
- Times
Premier Inn owner sets sights on Germany
The Premier Inn located in the back garden of Messe Frankfurt, the city's trade fair, has a different buzz about it compared with a typical British branch of the budget hotel chain. Dozens of cycling fanatics from around the world, including the United States and China, have descended on the hotel's plush bar to enjoy happy hour-priced steins of cold beer and cocktails before the five-day Eurobike festival taking place at Messe this week. It's an exciting event for Dominic Paul, the self-confessed cyclist and motorbike enthusiast who is chief executive of the Premier Inn owner, Whitbread, and has placed a big bet on the FTSE 100 group's growing German business. The hotel chain, originally called Travel Inn, was launched by Whitbread in 1987 in Basildon, Essex, two years after the launch of Travelodge by the old Forte Group catering empire.
Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Times
Inside the £6 million London home with a link to Whitbread brewery
C hiswell Street in Islington sits between the cultural offerings of the Barbican and the tech hub around Old Street's Silicon Roundabout. Not long ago though, it was the centre of one of the largest breweries in the world. Samuel Whitbread produced more than 200,000 barrels of porter a year in the late 18th century, rising to 330,000 by the mid-19th century. The site was nicknamed 'Whitbread's Giant' and beer was brewed there for more than 200 years. The house historian Melanie Backe-Hansen says: 'By 1796 Whitbread was the largest producer of beer in London. They continued to grow and by the 1890s they took over space in Garrett Street, constructing a purpose-built stables to house their working horses' which pulled the delivery wagons. 'White's Yard and Basket Alley had been connected to create Garrett Street, which was named after a member of the parish vestry works committee, in 1898.'
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
With 79% ownership of the shares, Whitbread plc (LON:WTB) is heavily dominated by institutional owners
Institutions' substantial holdings in Whitbread implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price A total of 21 investors have a majority stake in the company with 50% ownership Recent sales by insiders This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. To get a sense of who is truly in control of Whitbread plc (LON:WTB), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 79% ownership. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. As a result, a sizeable amount of institutional money invested in a firm is generally viewed as a positive attribute. Let's delve deeper into each type of owner of Whitbread, beginning with the chart below. View our latest analysis for Whitbread Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Whitbread. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Whitbread, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too. Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in Whitbread. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 7.0% of shares outstanding. With 4.8% and 4.1% of the shares outstanding respectively, The Vanguard Group, Inc. and Artemis Investment Management LLP are the second and third largest shareholders. After doing some more digging, we found that the top 21 have the combined ownership of 50% in the company, suggesting that no single shareholder has significant control over the company. While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily. While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it. Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances. Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Whitbread plc in their own names. It's a big company, so even a small proportional interest can create alignment between the board and shareholders. In this case insiders own UK£2.2m worth of shares. It is always good to see at least some insider ownership, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been selling. The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 20% stake in Whitbread. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Be aware that Whitbread is showing 1 warning sign in our investment analysis , you should know about... If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Sign in to access your portfolio
The Sun
19-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Craft beer prices have rocketed since start of year amid rising costs and tax hikes
CRAFT beer prices have rocketed since the start of the year — giving drinkers a major hangover. Prices have jumped by up to 12.5 per cent since January, The Morning Advertiser Pint Price Survey has revealed. The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said many landlords are having to charge more just to stay open in the face of rising raw material costs and tax rises. The survey said the biggest price rise was for BrewDog Punk IPA, which was £5.64 a pint in January but is now £6.34. Camden Hells has also climbed to £6.34, up 10.8 per cent from £5.72. Others have seen more modest increases, just 1.7 per cent for Camden Pale Ale, which has gone from £5.59 to £5.69. The average price of a draught pint across all types has crept up to £5.17, compared with £5.08 six months ago. CAMRA chairman Ash Corbett-Collins said: 'It's incredibly frustrating for consumers to see the price of a pint rise yet again. 'It's really important that we talk about the reasons that the price of beer is rising — it's hikes in the price of raw materials for brewers, energy costs staying high, pubs being squeezed by a challenging business rates system and rises in National Insurance contributions. 'Increasing the price of a pint is sometimes the only option for pubs, as not doing so risks closing their doors for ever.' Whitbread, owner of Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, has reported a 16 per cent fall in food and drink sales as it overhauls its restaurants. 1 Pint prices on the rise and Maccies axes beloved item MORRISONS OVER STORM MORRISONS bosses said it had 'bounced back' from a Christmas cyber attack, as it posted stronger sales and profits for the latest quarter. But the UK's fifth-largest supermarket chain warned inflation is driving 'subdued' sentiment among shoppers. The Bradford-based business yesterday revealed group sales grew by 4.2 per cent to £3.9billion for the 13 weeks to April 27 compared with the same 2024 quarter. Morrisons is pushing ahead with a turnaround plan which includes closing cafés along with meat and fish counters. NO BEAUTY BID MIKE Ashley's Frasers Group has pulled out of the bidding process for cosmetic retailer Revolution Beauty. Frasers, which owns Sports Direct, said it 'does not intend to make an offer'. The make-up firm had said Frasers was 'one of a number of parties conducting due diligence' after it put itself up for sale last month. But the withdrawal raises questions over the future of the troubled beauty brand.
Daily Mail
19-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
The Bank of England never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity, says ALEX BRUMMER
The Bank of England never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Its latest minutes clearly show that after an unexpectedly firm start to the year, the British economy has descended into gloom. Labour's £40billion of tax increases are taking a real toll on jobs and output. The Government's core growth mission is failing. The Bank expects output to be barely up in the second quarter, by 0.25 per cent. Recent surveys suggest growth is grinding along at near to zero. Special factors, such as Trump tariff mayhem, may be part of that. But it is impossible to ignore warnings from business leaders including James Dyson and John Roberts of online retailer AO World, who are blaming tax and anti-wealth policies for the drudgery. Further evidence that confidence is evaporating comes from Whitbread, owner of Britain's largest hotelier Premier Inn. It cited rising employment costs and economic headwinds as factors in the 2 per cent drop in sales in the quarter which ended on May 29. All this should have encouraged the Bank to move ahead of the curve. Instead, six members of the Bank of England's interest rate committee sat on their hands and held the key borrowing rate at 4.25 per cent. There was one glimmer of light with Bank insider Dave Ramsden, joined by two outside members, the dove-ish LSE professor Swati Dhingra and US-based economic guru Alan Taylor, who voted for a quarter-point cut. The cautionary group on the Monetary Policy Committee argued that, with inflation at 3.4 per cent and likely to remain at 3.5 per cent for the rest of the year, dis-inflation needs to continue. Yet two of the Bank of England's most closely watched metrics – private sector earnings and prices for services – are heading downwards. Monetary policy takes time to work, which is another reason for lowering rates. Higher-than-necessary borrowing costs constrain a housing market punished by stamp duty and restrain enterprises from borrowing for investment. Conflict between Israel and Iran is also considered a reason for holding back. The oil price already has zipped up and supplies, as former BP boss John Browne warns, could be dramatically reduced if the Strait of Hormuz were to be closed. The classic textbook policy response to shocks and uncertainty is to ease credit conditions and prevent a flatlining economy plummeting into recession. After all, emergency rate cuts can be reversed. The US Federal Reserve and the Bank may be on hold, but some central banks are bolder. Norway cut rates for the first time in five years yesterday. The Swiss, facing a tide of inward funds looking for a safe home, cut rates to zero. There is even talk of negative rates. The Old Lady has now descended into a pattern in which it chooses to ease rates in the months when it publishes its full monetary policy report. That means waiting until August, when minds are on buckets and spades rather than buying and building homes, and borrowing to invest. Science class There is comfort to be drawn from the latest QS World University rankings which shows that the UK is up among the elite with four institutions – Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and UCL – in the top ten. But research standards are slipping, with 54 of the 90 British universities falling down the league table. Improved funding and tax breaks would create a real opportunity for the UK to poach disaffected scientists and AI innovators alienated by Trumpian attacks on Harvard. Instead, the Government is bogged down. A 104-page infrastructure plan is all but incomprehensible, with talk of 'spatial tools' and 'granular modelling'. I've a better idea: ramp up research spending and watch invention and enterprise bloom. Slam dunk Everything in America is bigger, including the valuation of sports franchises. The LA Lakers basketball team is being snapped up by Mark Walter of TWG Global for $10billion (£7.4billion), making it the most valuable team on earth. TWG has stakes in the LA Dodgers baseball team and women's basketball outfit LA Sparks. That makes Premier League football teams look cheap.
