Whitbread is set to close four restaurant locations across Sussex as part of a significant company restructuring programme affecting nearly 200 sites across the United Kingdom.
The hospitality group will shut all 195 Beefeater and Brewers Fayre establishments nationwide, with approximately 3,800 positions facing redundancy.
The closures form a central component of Whitbread’s five-year strategic plan, which was unveiled in April and also encompasses the shutdown of Bar + Block, Table Table, and Cookhouse + Pub venues.
Four Sussex-based outlets operated by Whitbread will be affected by the restructuring initiative.
The affected locations comprise the Crossbush Beefeater in Arundel, the White Hart Beefeater in Hastings, The Windmill Brewers Fayre in Hastings, and The Drove Brewers Fayre in Newhaven.
Brewers Fayre sites are scheduled to cease operations permanently on Monday, September 7, with Beefeater restaurants following shortly afterwards on Thursday, September 10.
The timing of the closures has prompted affected customers to consider any outstanding loyalty rewards they may hold.
The restructuring strategy aims to generate £250 million in cost efficiencies while refocusing the business on its hotel operations.
Whitbread intends to transform certain restaurant properties into additional Premier Inn accommodation and dispose of freehold assets worth approximately £1.5 billion to support continued expansion of its accommodation portfolio.
The company has indicated that affected employees may be offered opportunities for redeployment elsewhere within the organisation.
Whitbread recruits approximately 15,000 individuals annually and expects to retain a substantial proportion of those impacted by the site closures.
However, the company has acknowledged that the proposed changes would likely result in approximately 3,800 job losses across a total workforce of around 30,000 in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
A conditional agreement has been reached regarding 53 sites across the estate, potentially providing an alternative outcome for some establishments.
Queensway Inns has entered into a deal to acquire these locations, subject to final approvals, with plans to operate them as affordable pub venues under a new brand identity.
Should the transaction proceed to completion, around 900 staff members could transfer to the new operator under applicable employment protection regulations.
The White Hart Beefeater in Hastings has been identified in media reports as potentially among the venues set to be retained under this arrangement.
However, Queensway Inns has yet to confirm details regarding the proposed brand name, menu pricing structure, or anticipated reopening schedules for the acquired sites.