THE owner of Greenock's Premier Inn hotel has announced it is to cut around 1,500 jobs nationally amid plans to close a number of its branded restaurants.

Whitbread, which owns eateries including Brewers Fayre and Beefeater, has a total UK workforce of 37,000.

The group said the move to axe jobs is part of plans to ‘optimise’ its food and drink offering and add more than 3,500 rooms across its estate.

Whitbread owns the Premier Inn hotel on James Watt Way in Greenock, which is attached to a Brewers Fayre restaurant.

It is anticipated that 126 of its less profitable branded restaurants will be sold – with the job cuts still being subject to consultation.

Greenock Telegraph:

The plan will see 112 restaurants converted into new hotel rooms.

Chief executive Dominic Paul said: “We recognise that our transition will impact some of our team members so we will be providing support throughout this process and we are committed to working hard to enable as many as possible of those affected to remain with us.”

Whitbread says the cost-cutting programme will save around £150 million over the next three years.

Mr Paul said the decision to cut jobs was ‘really challenging’.

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He added: “It’s really important that we therefore handle that in the right way for our people.

“We also have made sure that we balance our business overall.

“What we’ve announced today will increase our profits and returns, and that’s also important for our people, because it enables us to continue to invest in our people within the business.

“We are a public company, so we also need to think about our shareholders. Our capital returns policy, of dividends and share buybacks, is within that context.”