THE boss of Whitbread's Samlesbury brewery today spoke of his confidence for the site's future amid speculation it could be sold.

General manager Paul Porter-Smith said heavy investment in the past three years meant the Samlesbury site was in very good shape.

His comments came after Whitbread confirmed it was in talks to buy pubs and restaurants from Allied Domecq in a £2.75 billion deal.

If the deal went ahead, Government rules mean Whitbread would have to look at disposing of its brewing operation. It could be sold to another brewing group, floated as a separate company on the Stock Market or sold to a management buyout team.

Mr Porter-Smith said the brewery workforce of more than 500 should not be anxious about a possible change of ownership.

"We have been through a lot of changes here and those changes were essential to make sure Samlesbury got to the position it is in today. Our employees here work for a very successful beer company."

He added the site's success meant it was well placed to make the most of any fresh opportunities that might come out of a possible change in ownership.

Whitbread issued a statement confirming talks over a to take over 3,500 pubs and restaurants from Allied Domecq. The joint statement followed newspaper reports that Whitbread was poised to spend up to £2.75 billion buying 3,500 pubs and restaurants.

Whitbread today announced profits of £365.3million for the year to March - up slightly on the previous year.

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