Whitbread outperforms rivals as boss shrugs off replacement rumour | guardian.co.uk
Costa Coffee owner Whitbread has shrugged off the recession to outperform its rivals, prompting chief executive Alan Parker to claim he has the "best job in the country" and to rebuff talk that former Boots boss Richard Baker is being lined up for his job. Whitbread, which also owns the Premier Inn hotel chain and a cluster of restaurant brands, appointed Baker as a non-executive director this morning, prompting speculation that the former retailer could move into Parker's shoes.
