Whitbread has revealed a £300m expansion programme to achieve “dramatic growth” within its restaurant brands over the next five years.

The new site-finding drive is being spearheaded by the group’s Brewers Fayre and Brewsters brands and aims to establish around 35 new outlets per year.

Head of Whitbread Restaurants’ site finding team, Simon Johnson, said: “Whitbread is bucking the trend with regard to new site acquisitions of family pub and hotel sites across the country.

“Many competitors have either suspended further expansion or substantially reduced their acquisition pipeline.”

Many of the new Brewers Fayre and Brewsters sites will be developed alongside Whitbread’s Travel Inn hotel business.

The hunt is also on for new sites for other Whitbread brands such as Pizza Hut, TGI Friday’s and Costa with stand-alone sites, integrated business and leisure park developments around the UK all due to be considered, as Johnson explained: “We are always open to new ideas and have a track record in restoring and maintaining unusual sites, including a large number of listed buildings. We will also look at options to buy existing businesses as going concerns.” Details: www.whitbread.co.uk