Overview
- Whitbread now expects UK business rates changes to cost about £35 million next year, reduced from an earlier £40–50 million estimate.
- The company raised its current-year efficiency target to £75–80 million across labour, technology and procurement as it advances a restructuring of its restaurant estate.
- Group sales rose 2% to £781 million in the 13 weeks to 27 November, with UK RevPAR up around 3–4% and recent momentum described as strong.
- Persimmon guided 2025 underlying profits toward the upper end of expectations, reporting 11,905 completions (+12%) and a private average selling price of about £301,000 (+5%).
- Global risk appetite provided a supportive backdrop as Japan’s Nikkei 225 jumped more than 3% to a record high, with the FTSE 100 seen steady at the open.