Lancashire branches to close as UK chain shutting all 106 sites

Beefeater has announced that every one of its restaurants across the UK will shut on September 10 as part of owner Whitbread's major restructuring programme.

The closures will affect Lancashire sites on Southport Road in Scarisbrick, near Ormskirk, and Devonshire Road in Bispham, Blackpool.

Customers were informed of the decision in a letter sent to Beefeater Reward Club members.

The letter said: "As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to our business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.

"This means that on Thursday, September 10, your local Beefeater and all other UK Beefeaters will close."

Whitbread first revealed plans in April to shut its remaining Beefeater and Brewer's Fayre restaurants as part of a strategy overhaul that put around 3,800 jobs at risk.

Dominic Paul, Whitbread's chief executive, previously said the company had reviewed its options following rising costs, including increases in business rates and National Insurance (Image: IWCP)

The company is refocusing its business around Premier Inn hotels and aims to cut costs by £250 million over the next five years.

As part of the overhaul, some restaurant sites will be converted into additional Premier Inn rooms, while Whitbread also plans to sell around £1.5 billion worth of freehold properties to help fund future growth.

The group currently owns around 86,600 hotel rooms and hopes to increase that number to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.

In the letter to customers, Beefeater also confirmed that its loyalty scheme will close on August 31.

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Whitbread said the changes are designed to create a more streamlined business focused on hotels and an integrated food and drink offer that it believes better serves Premier Inn guests.

Dominic Paul, Whitbread's chief executive, previously said the company had reviewed its options following rising costs, including increases in business rates and National Insurance.

He said the new strategy would transform Whitbread into a "higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business" while delivering growth for shareholders.

Whitbread has said it hopes to redeploy many affected members of staff across its wider business, but it expects around 3,800 roles to be lost from its UK and Ireland workforce of approximately 30,000 employees.

Brewers Fayre restaurants are also set to close under the plans, although closure dates for those sites have not yet been confirmed.

Will you be sad to see the Lancashire Beefeater restaurants close? Let us know in the comments.