Top exit leads to Whitbread Pubs search

Whitbread Pub Partnerships is looking for a new marketing director following the departure of Andrew Thorpe.

Thorpe, who left “by mutual consent” according to a company spokesman, had a board position within the division and reported to managing director Stewart Miller.

Whitbread Pub Partnerships manages a business of about 2,200 pubs, mainly on 20-year leases with a partial tie. Marketing initiatives used across the estate include the House Business Plan, which provides lease-holders with customer data for promotional mailings; and loyalty schemes such as the Golden Club, aimed at customers aged 55 and over in the Cotswolds and the South.

It is one of four trading divisions within Whitbread. The others are: Whitbread Inns, which operates the managed pubs and pub restaurants; the Whitbread Beer Company, in charge of manufacturing, distribution, sales and marketing; and the recently restructured restaurants and leisure division, which has been split into new business groups.