Rolling out from Tuesday 16^th January, the new kids’ range will initially be available in 70% of Pret’s shops located up and down the country. This latest evolution aims to help expand Pret’s customer base as it focuses its growth outside of London.

At the heart of Pret’s transformation has been a significant shift in the way the business serves customers, providing delicious, freshly made food and organic coffee through new digital and retail channels. Over the past few years, Pret has been accelerating its expansion with franchise partners into areas outside London.

Just like Pret’s main menu, all products in the kids’ range will be made fresh by team members in shops throughout the day, using the same high-quality ingredients found in several Pret classics.

Even the packaging has been designed by kids for kids, with children’s hand-drawn illustrations of Pret stars to decorate the range, giving it the final touch.

‘MAJOR MILESTONE’

To accompany their meal, kids can enjoy a free Barista-made babycino. As always, Club Pret subscribers also get 20% off the entire kids’ range.

The range will be rolled out to more shops throughout 2024, with a view to also expanding into snacks and treats tested by kids along the way.

Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret, said: “Launching Pret’s first full kids’ range has long been a personal ambition and we’ve worked closely with our food development team, franchise partners and even our extended Pret family to create a menu we’re proud of, using the same high-quality ingredients found in several Pret classics that kids will love.

“It’s a major milestone within our transformation journey to bring Pret to a more diverse customer-base across the country, from office workers to entire families and everyone in between.

“We felt it was the right time to expand our menu offer as we continue to focus our growth outside of London. We can’t wait to hear the feedback and are excited to create a new role for Pret within the lives of customers.”

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Wanting to help fuel the Christmas shoppers during the festive season, Pret A Manger opened its hotly-anticipated Belfast shop on 7^th December, marking its first foray into the Northern Irish market.

With many eager customers having gone through the new doors at Donegall Square West, Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret A Manger said their first Northern Ireland shop was “a huge moment for Pret”.

Having arrived in Ireland in August 2022, Pret’s Belfast shop is the company’s fifth shop to open across the island of Ireland, and marks an exciting moment for the brand, with plans to open 20 shops across the island within the next decade.

“At this stage, we are focused on launching the Pret brand successfully in Northern Ireland with our first shop at Donegall Square West. We are always looking out for new opportunities to help us bring Pret to more people and are on the lookout for more Pret locations across Northern Ireland,” said Clare.

“We opened our first shop in the Republic of Ireland last year with our longstanding franchise partner, Carebrook. We currently have four shops open in Dublin and are excited to be opening our first one in Belfast as part of our ambition to open 20 shops across the island of Ireland, creating up to 400 jobs.”

Pret started in 1986 in London with the aim of offering customers freshly made good food and coffee. Some 30 years later, Clare said this simple ambition hasn’t changed.

Pret’s sandwiches, salads and wraps are freshly handmade each day in shop kitchens using quality ingredients and all coffees, tea and hot chocolates are organic. What started as a London-based chain has now grown into a global brand with over 660 shops and 10,000 employees worldwide.

SUPPORTING LOCAL CHARITY

“Pret’s strategy before the pandemic was about following the skyscraper, opening shops which were close to office blocks to serve commuters,” said Clare.

“Since the pandemic fundamentally changed the way people work and travel, we now want to follow the customer. That’s the real recipe for our growth and it’s why we’ve expanded into countries, regions and towns in the UK which never used to have a Pret – like Belfast.

“More than half of new Pret shops opened since January 2022 have been outside of London, and we’ve noticed that customers are coming to us at different times of the day and more days of the week depending where our shops are.”

Clare explained that it was the company’s intention to expand their shops across Ireland, while working with a local charity.

“We always had ambitious plans with Carebrook to bring Pret to people across the island of Ireland and have long had customers asking us to bring our freshly made food and organic coffees to Belfast.

“As well as bringing our unique offer to Northern Ireland, we’re proud to be supporting local charity, the Welcome Organisation, by donating the shop’s unsold food at the end of each day via The Pret Foundation. The Pret Foundation’s mission is to help end hunger, poverty, and homelessness in the communities where we operate.”

GROWTH AND COMMITMENT

This commitment to others begins on their own doorstep, with support for staff and encouragement to grow within the business.

“We take great pride in that Pret is a place to grow your career. Our CEO, Pano started as an assistant manager in one of our shops, nearly 90% of Pret general managers began their career as members of the shop teams, and 95% of operations managers began on the Pret shop floor.

“To also help us retain talent, we take pride in being a top employer, and last year we gave our third pay rise to our hard-working shop teams in a 12-month period, increasing staff pay ahead of inflation.”

Amidst this however, is the battle of rising business costs and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis with Clare saying they are making efforts to address this for staff and consumers.

“Like all businesses, we are continuing to face cost pressures. Energy is one example of this, while the cost of ingredients has also gone up.

“At Pret, our costs are slightly different, because our food is prepared by people in kitchens every day, not by machines or in factories, like many other sandwiches you find on the high street.

“Pret continues to offer great value for money across our freshly made food and organic coffee. We offer an extensive menu, with lots of products at different price points.

“Fundamentally, what makes us unique is our focus on high quality, fresh products, and commitment to great service. That’s what our customers come to Pret for.”

Looking ahead, Clare highlighted the initiatives Pret is undertaking in its drive towards sustainability, and responding to consumer demands for more ‘green’ awareness.

“At Pret, we always strive to do what we can to help customers make more sustainable choices. For example, we have made a global commitment to make 100% of our packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025, to eliminate all unnecessary single-use plastic, and to help customers to recycle effectively in our shops.

“We also know that many customers are conscious about their meat consumption, and we’re proud that 50% of our menu offers vegetarian or vegan friendly options. Where possible, we always aim to source our ingredients locally to help reduce our carbon footprint.

“Our board also recently approved Pret’s 2030 Sustainability Ambition, centred around three key pillars – Planet, People and Product.”

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Based in the heart of the city at Donegall Square West, the hugely anticipated opening will bring the much-loved, freshly made food and organic coffee brand to customers in Northern Ireland for the first time ever.

With this new shop opening, Pret has created 20 new jobs for the local Belfast economy. This is Pret’s fifth shop to begin trading on the island of Ireland within the last 18 months and is part of the brand’s commitment to open 20 Pret shops across Ireland within the next decade, creating around 400 positions.

Known for its freshly made food, Pret will bring its extensive range of great tasting, high quality products to Belfast customers, all prepared by team members in the shop’s on-site kitchen each day. The new shop will work with a number of local Northern Irish suppliers, including Lynas Foodservice in Coleraine.

Pret’s famous organic coffees and teas (available both hot or iced) will be prepared by trained baristas alongside its menu of sandwiches, salads and hot-food options, snacks, baked goods and cold drinks.

At the end of each day, surplus food will be donated to its local charity partner, Welcome Organisation, via The Pret Foundation. The Pret Foundation’s aim is to help end homelessness, poverty, and hunger, and has long been committed to donating unsold food to the communities where Pret shops are located.

Welcome Organisation is a Belfast-based charity that provides homeless support through a range of services, including a drop-in centre, street outreach, crisis accommodation for women, floating support, and a mobile health unit.

‘EXCITING MILESTONE’

Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret A Manger said: “Our first Northern Ireland shop is a huge moment for Pret. We know the community in Belfast have long been calling out for a local Pret shop, so to be opening in the heart of the city brings us a lot of joy.

“We are delighted to be working with our long-standing franchise partners Carebrook, who have a proven track record of excellence operating Pret shops in the UK and Northern Ireland. We’ve got big plans to keep growing in Ireland and look forward to bringing our freshly made food and organic coffees to new customers across Belfast.”

The Belfast shop opening is part of partnership between Pret and Carebrook Ltd., one of its longest serving franchise partners, which has overseen the success of many shops in London, including Camden, Belsize Park and Finchley. Having grown up in the Republic of Ireland, Carebrook co-owners Gerard Loughran and Ray McNamara have in-depth knowledge of the food industry in the UK and Ireland, alongside 30 years of experience working with Pret and have already opened four successful Pret shops across Dublin.

Gerard Loughran, Chief Executive at the Carebrook Partnership Ltd added: “This is an exciting milestone in our expansion of the Pret brand on the island of Ireland with the grand opening of our first shop in Belfast. The team has been working hard to prepare for the opening and to welcome our first customers through the door. We’re excited to introduce Belfast to Pret’s freshly made food, organic coffee and friendly service.”

The Belfast launch also coincides with the arrival of Pret’s hotly anticipated festive menu, which is available until Christmas Eve. It includes seasonal favourites such as its famous Christmas Lunch Sandwich, Brie and Cranberry Baguette, Boxing Day Toastie and a host of festive barista-made drinks including the Merry Berry Hot Chocolate, the Salted Caramel Latte and the popular Gingerbread Latte.

Pret now operates in 16 markets on three continents and expects to have 700 shops worldwide by the end of 2023. Earlier this year, Pret announced that half year revenue in 2023 reached £429.9m, growing by 20.2% compared with the same period in 2022. International expansion has been a key driver of this growth, with international sales now accounting for 18.9% of Pret’s revenue.

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The new store will be located at 11 Donegall Square West in Belfast and will create 20 new jobs in the city.

It will be operated by its longstanding franchise partner, Carebrook Partnership Ltd and represents their fourth shop on the island of Ireland, with three shops already located in Dublin.

The latest opening continues Pret’s mission to bring its freshly made food and organic coffee to more people around the world, including an ambition to open 20 shops across the island of Ireland in the next decade.

Opening later this year, locals and visitors to the new shop on Donegall Square West will soon be able to enjoy Pret’s extensive menu. The company is also looking to recruit in a number of roles, including team members, managers and baristas.

Staff can earn up to £12.30 per hour depending on role, location, experience and bonus inclusion. They will also have access to a benefits package, which includes free food and drink while on shift, as well as a discounts portal.

‘COMMUNITY HUB’

Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret A Manger, said: “We’re delighted to be opening Pret’s first-ever shop in Northern Ireland as part of our ambitious plans to bring Pret to more people.

“We’ve long heard that Belfast locals and visitors would love to have a Pret, so we can’t wait to welcome them to our new shop right in the heart of the city with our longstanding franchise partner Carebrook, who has had much success operating Pret shops in the UK and on the island of Ireland.”

Gerard Loughran, Chief Executive at the Carebrook Partnership Ltd, added: “This new opening in Belfast is an important milestone for our partnership with Pret, and it’s fantastic to finally be bringing the Pret brand to Northern Ireland.

“The new shop will create 20 jobs in the city and we hope it can become a hotspot for locals and visitors alike. We’re excited to welcome our first customers later this year, where they can enjoy the freshly made food and coffee Pret is known for.”

In partnership with The Pret Foundation, Pret is on the look-out for local charities to donate surplus food to at the end of each day. Interested local charities should contact The Pret Foundation via Pret.FoundationUK@pret.com

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Having first joined Too Good To Go in 2019, Sophie previously held roles as Head of Key Accounts and more recently Head of Business Development for the UK and Ireland.

In her time at Too Good To Go, Sophie has been responsible for driving instrumental new brand partnerships with the likes of Greggs, Morrisons, Pret a Manger, Starbucks and Greene King.

With more than 10 years of experience in the FMCG sector, including roles at L’Oréal and Amadeus, Sophie brings a deep passion for sustainability coupled with strong commercial acumen to the new role.

Commenting on her new position, Sophie said: “I’m thrilled to take on this next challenge at Too Good to Go. We’re on an incredible journey as a company and I am determined to continue this trajectory as we help even more companies save food from going to waste.”

Too Good To Go’s previous UK Managing Director, Paschalis Loucaides, will be taking on the role of Vice President of Operations for Too Good To Go.

The post Sophie Trueman appointed as Too Good To Go’s UK and Ireland Managing Director first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.