Premier Inn owner Whitbread to axe 6,000 jobs
Premier Inn owner Whitbread has announced it will slash 6,000 jobs as the hospitality sector continues to be pummelled by coronavirus.
The cuts mean 18% of the company's workforce will be cut, with Premier Inn staff to be worst hit.
The company said: "With market demand expected to remain at lower levels in the short to medium-term, we have now taken the very difficult decision to announce our intention to enter into consultation on proposals that could result in up to 6,000 redundancies for our hotel and restaurant colleagues (representing 18% of our total workforce).
"We expect a significant proportion of these redundancies to be achieved voluntarily. Our priority now is to ensure that the process is fair and that impacted colleagues are supported throughout."
The company added: "This is a regrettable but necessary step to ensure that we emerge from the crisis with a lower cost base, a more flexible operating model and a stronger more resilient business."
