Whitbread's incoming chief executive Andy Harrison has continued signalling his commitment to his new employers, spending nearly £500,000 on shares in the hotel and coffee shop operator.

He bought 29,439 shares at 1,685.74 a time and now has 161,673.

Harrison, who used to be chief executive at easyJet, started building his stake in the Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner even before he joined the board.

The shares have climbed since he bought 50,684 shares at 1,468.74p a time. He also bought 81,550 shares for an unspecified amount in June.

The company posted strong results last month, with its low prices attracting customers in spite of the tough economic climate.

Group underlying profit before tax rose by 28.4% to £151.8m in the six months to 2 September from £118.2m in the corresponding period of last year.

'Whitbread has performed strongly in both good times and during the recession and is well placed to grow in the current environment,' said outgoing chief executive Alan Parker.

'While the economic outlook remains uncertain, we are confident in the outturn for the year.'

Top Director Buys

Whitbread (WTB)
Director name: Mr Andy Harrison
Amount purchased: 29,439 @ 1,685.74p
Value: £496,265

Minera IRL Ltd. (MIRL)
Director name: Dr Doug Jones
Amount purchased: 88,000 @ 71.26p
Value: £62,709

Babcock International Group (BAB)
Director name: Mr Kevin Thomas
Amount purchased: 14,440 @ 554.00p
Value: £79,998

Mission Marketing Group (TMMG)
Director name: Mr Robert Andrew Day
Amount purchased: 911,743 @ 7.50p
Value: £68,381

Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust (AAS)
Director name: Mr Martin J Gilbert
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 629.08p
Value: £62,908

HGCapital Trust (HGT)
Director name: Mr Mark Powell
Amount purchased: 3,000 @ 975.00p
Value: £29,250

Sagentia Group (SAG)
Director name: Mr Neil Elton
Amount purchased: 33,994 @ 58.50p
Value: £19,886

St. Modwen Properties (SMP)
Director name: Mr William (Bill) Oliver
Amount purchased: 10,405 @ 147.22p
Value: £15,318

Mission Marketing Group (TMMG)
Director name: Mr Peter Fitzwilliam
Amount purchased: 133,334 @ 7.50p
Value: £10,000


Top Director Sells

News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA)
Director name: Mr David DeVoe
Amount sold: 51,317 @ $14.35
Value: $736,399

News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA)
Director name: Mr David DeVoe
Amount sold: 44,103 @ $14.35
Value: $632,878

Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd. (HRM)
Director name: Mr Graham Briggs
Amount sold: 26,682 @ 757.00p
Value: £201,983

AstraZeneca (AZN)
Director name: Mr Simon Lowth
Amount sold: 6,188 @ 3,016.00p
Value: £186,630

Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd. (HRM)
Director name: Mr Harry E. Mashego
Amount sold: 10,059 @ 757.00p
Value: £76,147

Related share prices
AstraZeneca (AZN) share price
Whitbread (WTB) share price
Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust (AAS) share price
Babcock International Group (BAB) share price
HGCapital Trust (HGT) share price
St. Modwen Properties (SMP) share price
News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA) share price
Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd. (HRM) share price
Mission Marketing Group (TMMG) share price
Minera IRL Ltd. (MIRL) share price
Sagentia Group (SAG) share price