Whitbread's chief executive Andy Harrison has taken a top-up in the Costa Coffee and Premier Inn owner's shares, spending nearly £250,000.

He took 16,095 shares at 1,543.6p a time and now has 177,768.

Harrison's purchase comes the week after Whitbread reported a 9% rise in sales for the first quarter. Strong sales growth at Costa coffee shops helped the company to offset subdued activity in its restaurant division, which included Beefeater Grill and Brewers Fayre, to grow total sales by 9.2% in first quarter.

The group said that the trading momentum during the 13 weeks to 2 June was consistent with the outlook at its full-year results, with like-for-like (LFL) sales up 1.7%, "although our business was adversely affected by the extended Easter and Royal Wedding holiday," said Harrison.

Whitbread's focus on value has helped it prosper in the tough conditions seen in the past year. As a former chief executive of the budget airline easyJet, Harrison knows a thing or two about keeping prices low. He became boss of Whitbread last year.

Top Director Buys

Hasgrove (HGV)
Director name: Mr Jean-Leopold Schuybroek
Amount purchased: 268,755 @ 87.72p
Value: £235,752

Whitbread (WTB)
Director name: Mr Andy Harrison
Amount purchased: 16,095 @ 1,543.60p
Value: £248,442

Electrocomponents (ECM)
Director name: Mr Peter M Johnson
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 234.50p
Value: £117,250

Serica Energy (SQZ)
Director name: Mr Antony Craven Walker
Amount purchased: 265,763 @ 25.96p
Value: £68,992

Graphite Enterprise Trust (GPE)
Director name: Ms Lucinda Riches
Amount purchased: 10,000 @ 399.00p
Value: £39,900

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL)
Director name: Mr Hamish Buchan
Amount purchased: 5,144 @ 697.50p
Value: £35,879

Serica Energy (SQZ)
Director name: Mr Peter David Sadler
Amount purchased: 50,000 @ 26.96p
Value: £13,480


Top Director Sells

VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd. (VOF)
Director name: Mr Horst J F Geicke
Amount sold: 500,000 @ $1.53
Value: $765,000

Sandvine Corp. (SAND)
Director name: Mr Dave Caputo
Amount sold: 17,800 @ 152.10p
Value: £27,074

Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL)
Director name: Mr Hamish Buchan
Amount sold: 5,144 @ 694.00p
Value: £35,699

Related share prices
Whitbread (WTB) share price
Electrocomponents (ECM) share price
Aberforth Smaller Companies Trust (ASL) share price
Graphite Enterprise Trust (GPE) share price
VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund Ltd. (VOF) share price
Serica Energy (SQZ) share price
Sandvine Corp. (SAND) share price