Whitbread, the parent company of Premier Inn, has strengthened its property acquisition team with the goal of attaining 125,000 bedrooms across the UK and Ireland. Jill Anderson has joined the company in the role of Property Acquisition Manager.

Jill Anderson will put her 25 years’ experience working in property acquisition and development at Whitbread’s service to help the company achieve the ambitious growth targets it made during its FY23 interim results announcement. She began her career in 1996 at Allsop LLP as an Associate Valuation Surveyor. In 2001, she moved to King Sturge (JLL) where she held the same position, before being appointed Property Manager – Special Projects for Somerfield Stores Ltd.

Between 2007 and 2013, Anderson was Acquisition Manager for Tesco. Finally, prior to joining Whitbread, she worked for close to a decade as Acquisition Manager for Costa Coffee. In this role, she was responsible for expanding the chain’s store estate in the south-west of England.

Anderson will be tasked with leading the expansion of Premier Inn in the north of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. She will play a key role in helping the company reach its recently declared long-term network target of 125,000 keys in the British Isles, which would constitute a 17% market share.

Whitbread currently has 82,700 rooms in its UK and Ireland portfolio, with a further 8,875 in the development pipeline. It is on course to open 1,500-2,000 Premier Inn guestrooms this financial year and expects to return to opening 2,000-3,000 rooms per year thereafter.

We are focussed on maintaining our position as the UK’s number one hotel business. Our network of hotels is trading well and with the backing of Whitbread’s strong covenant and financial firepower we are well-placed to invest in growing our estate through the cycle and deliver long-term value for our shareholders. Adding Jill to our experienced team of in-house property acquisition managers demonstrates our continued appetite to expand the business and deliver the next generation of new locations for Premier Inn customers.

Derek Griffin, Head of Acquisitions for Premier Inn

Having worked for Costa Coffee when it was owned by Whitbread, I am no stranger to the company. The culture and Top 100 Employer status attracted me back along with the opportunity of expanding the Premier Inn and hub by Premier Inn brand at a time of focused growth and expansion. I have hit the ground running and am looking forward to building the pipeline of new hotels in the north of England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Do reach out to discuss opportunities in these locations.

Jill Anderson, Property Acquisition Manager for Premier Inn