Leisure group Whitbread reported stronger sales at its budget hotel brand Premier Inn today after a pick-up in demand from business customers.

The London market stemmed its losses today as worries over the Greek debt crisis were eased by better news from the US and healthy corporate results.

The 45-strong chain of TGI Friday’s restaurants in the UK was sold to the brand’s American founder for £70.4m (€107.2m) today.

Premier Travel Inn and Pizza Hut owner Whitbread was today reported to be in the sights of US hotel and property business Starwood Capital.

London shares were dragged back by heavy losses for mining stocks and renewed concerns over US interest rates today.

The FTSE 100 Index closed in negative territory today after profit updates from BP and Tesco failed to excite and investors cashed in on mining stocks.

Investors left Tesco shares off their shopping lists today as signs of slowing growth in the UK cast a pall over record profits of £2.2bn (€3.2bn).

BRITISH leisure group Whitbread is to invest nearly €45m in a network of up to 20 pubs, restaurants and hotels in the North, a move that will generate around 500 jobs.

The London market ended the day just shy of the key 5000 level after takeover talk surrounding Whitbread buoyed spirits.

Leisure group Whitbread said today that it was giving up control of its Marriott UK hotels in a deal that will raise at least £1bn (€1.43bn) over two years.

British pubs and hotels group Whitbread today announced plans to create about 8,000 jobs and to quit its London head office.

Further evidence of a recovery in the UK hotels sector emerged today after Whitbread said its Marriott business had returned to growth.