Whitbread laid out plans to double the number of its Costa Coffee outlets and expand aggressively its Premier Inn hotel chain as it revealed pre-tax profits grew by a quarter last year, ahead of forecasts.

UK Daily View: Whitbread looks to the Gulf

Roger Blitz on better than expected results from the owner of Premier Inns and Costa Coffee

Shares in the group rose 37p to £12.27 after analysts welcomed the results, which were boosted by lower interest charges on its debt.