Whitbread is closing all 105 Beefeater and 89 Brewers Fayre sites in the coming weeks, with final closure dates set for early September.

The mass closures are part of a major restructuring plan and strategy change.

Customers are now being reminded to redeem accrued points to avoid losing them.

All 106 Beefeater restaurants will also be closing as part of Whitbread’s restructuring (Image: Getty Images)

Warning to Beefeater and Brewers Fayre customers over loyalty points

A fresh email warning them to use remaining rewards as the sites prepare to close has been sent.

One from Beefeater reads: “We want to say a huge thank you for your custom at our Beefeater restaurants.

“As you may have seen, we have recently announced changes to your business, which is resulting in the closure of our Branded Restaurants.”

The email explains that the Beefeater Reward Club and other loyalty schemes, Bonus Club and Tasty Rewards, will close on Monday, August 31.

Points or receipt information must be entered into the loyalty scheme by Monday, August 24, and points must be converted to vouchers and redeemed by August 31.

All unredeemed points will expire and be wiped from the system at 7am on September 1.

Brewers Fayre has similar rewards with its loyalty scheme ending at the same time.

Why are Beefeater and Brewers Fayre closing?

The closures follow Whitbread’s announcement in April of a full shutdown of its Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites.

The company is shifting its strategy to focus on expanding its Premier Inn hotel business.

Dominic Paul, chief executive of Whitbread, said previously: “We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term.

“This has been a rigorous process and we’ve approached all options with an open mind.

“Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy.

“This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business.

“We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders.”

As part of the transition, nearly 3,800 jobs are at risk.

Whitbread has indicated that while some employees may be redeployed within the company, significant redundancies are likely.

The closures are part of a broader plan to convert restaurant sites into additional Premier Inn rooms.

The company also intends to sell around £1.5 billion worth of freehold property to support its expansion.

Currently, Whitbread operates around 86,600 hotel rooms and plans to grow this to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year.

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Brewers Fayre will close its remaining restaurants on September 7.

Beefeater will shut its final sites three days later, on September 10.

Whitbread has said it regrets the impact on staff and is working to support those affected during the transition.

Will you be sad to see your local Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites close? Let us know in the comments.

Torsion Construction Limited, based in Leeds and founded in 2015, specialised in residential and living sector developments and employed 115 people.

The firm had delivered £287 million worth of projects across the UK, including in major cities such as York, Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle.

PROJECT UPDATE: Lancaster Wharf, Birmingham
Our 23-story, 266-apartment development. Façade work underway and internal fit-out advancing rapidly, we’re on track for a winter 2025 handover. Exciting times ahead for the city’s skyline! #birmingham #construction #Propertydevelopmet pic.twitter.com/fEwbEFiKZs

— Torsion Group (@TorsionGroup) August 22, 2024

At the time of its collapse, a further £303 million worth of work was still under construction, according to the Torsion Construction website.

Torsion Construction ceases trading after falling into administration

After more than 11 years in business, Torsion Construction has ceased trading, having fallen into administration.

James Clark and Howard Smith of Interpath were appointed joint administrators on July 29.

Like many firms in the construction sector, Torsion had been under liquidity pressures linked to delayed capital events, contract margin pressure, and rising input costs.

A broader downturn in the market compounded the company’s financial difficulties, Interpath explained.

Mr Clark, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Torsion Construction, said: “Torsion Construction has faced many of the immense challenges that have confronted leadership teams right across the sector.

“Despite its efforts to find a sustainable solution and protect its clients from those pressures, the business’ liquidity ran out of road.

“With regret, Torsion Construction could not continue in its current form and was left with no other option but to cease trading.

“We have a team providing the appropriate information and support to staff as we work through an orderly wind down of operations.”

The business ceased trading upon entering administration, with the majority of staff made redundant.

A small number of employees have been retained to support the administrators during the winding-down process.

Other UK companies that have closed or entered administration/liquidation in 2026

It has been a tough year for the UK high street, with several other retailers entering administration or liquidation and others announcing widespread store closures.

Major high street brands LK Bennett, Claire’s, and Quiz have been forced to close all their remaining stores after falling into administration.

UK fashion retailer Leading Labels is also set to close its remaining 15 stores after falling into liquidation.

Whitbread recently confirmed it will be closing all its UK restaurants in September:

• Brewers Fayre (89 locations) – September 7
• Beefeater (106) – September 10
• Bar + Block – September 3
• Table Table – September 3
• Cookhouse + Pub – September 3

TG Jones and the British Heart Foundation will also both be closing around 150 stores across the UK.

Other retailers have been forced to close stores this year, including:

The company responsible for iconic British bikemaker Raleigh, Accell Group, also filed for administration this week, putting the 139-year-old British bikemaker at risk of closing.

Several UK travel companies have also ceased trading or entered administration in 2026:

Meanwhile, four UK airlines have fallen into administration or liquidation:

What has a nose, wings and runs off of hydrogen? Ecojet 😎 pic.twitter.com/y8QGiBdFe2

— ecotricity (@ecotricity) July 17, 2023

UK delivery company Yodel is set to be phased out after being acquired by InPost.

It’s also been reported that Morrisons is looking to sell some of its in-store pharmacies as it continues to cut costs.

It hasn’t all been bad news for the UK high street, with several major brands announcing new store openings for 2026, including Aldi, M&S, and Superdrug.

Meanwhile, brands including Evans and Bodycare have returned to the UK high street this year after previously closing all their stores.

Which business/store closure in 2026 has impacted you the most? Let us know in the comments below.

The trial, known as BD-Ebov, is testing a candidate vaccine called ChAdOx1 Ebola BDBV Vaccine, developed at the University of Oxford using the same platform technology that underpinned the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The backdrop is a serious one. In May 2026 the World Health Organisation declared a public health emergency of international concern after cases of severe fever and death linked to Bundibugyo virus were detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The virus, normally carried by fruit bats, can cross into humans through contact with infected animals and then spread between people through direct contact with body fluids.

Until now, there has been no licensed vaccine specifically targeting this strain. The Oxford trial is the first attempt to change that.

Researchers are recruiting healthy adults aged 18 to 55 who are in good health and able to attend regular face-to-face appointments in Oxford. The study runs for a year, with up to 12 visits at the Headington site. Volunteers have blood tests at each visit, are reviewed by a study clinician, and log any symptoms in an electronic diary.

The first 10 participants form Group 1 and receive an initial dose followed by a six-month booster. The following 40 participants make up Group 2 and receive either a single dose of the vaccine or a saltwater placebo. The team is looking at both the safety of the vaccine and the immune response it triggers.

Volunteers are reimbursed for their time, travel and inconvenience. Group 1 participants can receive up to £1,200 and Group 2 participants up to £790 across the year.

The Oxford Vaccine Group has been part of the University of Oxford’s Department of Paediatrics for more than 30 years. In that time it has run trials involving over 150,000 participants around the world, and its work on typhoid conjugate vaccines and the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine has contributed to millions of lives saved.

The Ebola trial fits that pattern: a small group of volunteers in one Oxford building, taking part in something that could eventually matter thousands of miles away.

The team’s message to prospective volunteers is a simple one. One volunteer today, potentially millions protected tomorrow.

Further details about eligibility, the schedule of visits and what taking part involves are set out in the participant information sheet, and expressions of interest can be registered through the study’s sign-up page.

More background on the group’s history and its current portfolio of studies is available on the Oxford Vaccine Group website.

For a research centre tucked away on a quiet street in Headington, it is a reminder of how much of the world’s vaccine science still runs through Oxford.