Incoming Whitbread boss takes another slice

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 BuysWhitbread (WTB) Director name: Mr Andy Harrison Amount purchased: 29,439 @ 1,685.74p Value: £496,265Minera IRL Ltd. (MIRL) Director name: Dr Doug JonesAmount purchased: 88,000 @ 71.26p Value: £62,709Babcock International Group (BAB) Director name: Mr Kevin ThomasAmount purchased: 14,440 @ 554.00p Value: £79,998Mission Marketing Group (TMMG) Director name: Mr Robert Andrew DayAmount purchased: 911,743 @ 7.50p Value: £68,381Aberdeen Asian Smaller Companies Inv Trust (AAS) Director name: Mr Martin J GilbertAmount purchased: 10,000 @ 629.08p Value: £62,908HGCapital Trust (HGT) Director name: Mr Mark PowellAmount purchased: 3,000 @ 975.00p Value: £29,250Sagentia Group (SAG) Director name: Mr Neil EltonAmount purchased: 33,994 @ 58.50p Value: £19,886St. Modwen Properties (SMP) Director name: Mr William (Bill) OliverAmount purchased: 10,405 @ 147.22p Value: £15,318Mission Marketing Group (TMMG) Director name: Mr Peter FitzwilliamAmount purchased: 133,334 @ 7.50p Value: £10,000Top Director SellsNews Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA) Director name: Mr David DeVoeAmount sold: 51,317 @ $14.35 Value: $736,399News Corp. 'A' Shares (NCRA) Director name: Mr David DeVoeAmount sold: 44,103 @ $14.35 Value: $632,878Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd. (HRM) Director name: Mr Graham BriggsAmount sold: 26,682 @ 757.00p Value: £201,983AstraZeneca (AZN) Director name: Mr Simon LowthAmount sold: 6,188 @ 3,016.00p Value: £186,630Harmony Gold Mining Co Ltd. (HRM) Director name: Mr Harry E. MashegoAmount sold: 10,059 @ 757.00p Value: £76,147