All Pret A Manger articles – Page 9
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NewsPret announces next wave of job cuts
Pret has announced it is to close a further six stores and place up to 400 jobs at risk of redundancy in response to the expected challenges of the coming months.
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InterviewsPret UK MD Clare Clough: Crisis ‘powered up the engines’ for our digital transformation
The onset of the coronavirus crisis caused Pret to “power up the engines” and move at pace with its digital transformation strategy, UK MD Clare Clough has said.
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NewsPret forced to axe 2,800 jobs
Pret has been forced to make 2,800 staff redundant as a result of the coronavirus. It said though sales and footfall have begun to recover, the impact of the coronavirus had set sales back ten years, when the business was “considerably smaller” than it is now (it had around 200 sites compared to 367 today). Weekly sales are averaging around £5m – the level they were at in August 2010. It also said trade across the UK estate was down 60% down year on year. As a result, the business said it has had to permanently close 30 shops and let 2,800 employees go, thanks to a combination of “shorter opening hours, lower transaction levels, and the losses faced by the business in 2020”.
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OpinionDominic Walsh: Casual dining one of ‘big losers’ of pandemic
It used to be so simple. Come up with a restaurant concept and a brand, open one restaurant, then a second, then aim for five outlets then ten and 20, and if it’s still working, press the button on a nationwide rollout. Well, something like that, anyway.
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NewsPret cuts staff hours by 20%
Pret has confirmed it has asked thousands of its staff to work fewer hours, as part of its post-coronavirus restructuring.
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NewsDeals fall sharply in Q2 2020
Grant Thornton has said deals are still closing amidst the coronavirus pandemic, but the numbers are well down on Q1. Its ‘Food and beverage insights’ report said 27 deals were announced in Q2 2020 compared to 44 in Q1 and that 52 deals were done in Q2 last year, a 39% and 48% fall respectively. However, the total disclosed deal value for Q2 2020 was £2bn from 11 with publicly disclosed values, a significant increase on Q1 2020’s value of £298.8m million. A large part of this 578% increase was down to the £780m JV between Marston’s and Carlsberg to form Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company.
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NewsPret launches vegan bakery counter
Pret is to launch a vegan bakery counter in its Veggie Pret stores.
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OpinionDominic Walsh: On not-so-Super Saturday and the pain that’s yet to come
If anyone thought that July 4 would bring down the curtain on the 15-week coronavirus purdah, they were soon disabused of the notion. Super Saturday was – like the weather – something of a damp squib. While some of the big pub companies opened as many as 80% to 85% of their estates on day one, research by CGA suggests that only 45% of hostelries opened their doors on Independence Day.
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NewsPret to close 30 shops
Pret CEO Pano Christou has said it is a “sad day” for Pret after he announced it was permanently closing 30 shops as a result of the coronavirus crisis. He said the impact of the virus on operating costs and cashflow had been “significant”, with sales down 74% year on year, and that Pret would now look to reduce staff across its remaining shops and at its London HQ. It will also look to sell the lease of the building.
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NewsPret could close 10% of UK stores
Pret A Manger could close up to one in ten of its around 400-strong UK estate as it deals with the dramatic drop-off in city centre footfall.
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NewsPret job cut fears following sales slump
Pret could be set to make job cuts as it’s been revealed that weekly sales have plummeted by 85% during the coronavirus crisis.
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NewsPret trials click and collect
Pret has launched a click and collect trial in five of its London stores.
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NewsVeggie Pret reopens with new delivery service
Pret is reopening all of its Veggie Pret stores across the UK this week.
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InterviewsPret CEO Pano Christou: We expect a permanent delivery boost
Pret a Manger expects to see a permanent boost in delivery volumes, with the lockdown accelerating its technology development by three or four years, CEO Pano Christou has told MCA’s The Conversation.
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NewsPret to reopen further 204 stores next week
Pret is to reopen a further 204 stores for takeaway and delivery next week.
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NewsTwo-metre distancing needs ‘flexible interpretation’
If the Government refuses to re-evaluate its two-metre physical distancing guideline, it will be up to the industry to interpret the rule “as flexibly as we can,” Jeremy Roberts, Living Ventures co-founder has said.
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NewsOperators continue to reopen for takeaway and delivery
Starbucks, Subway, Chipotle, Caffe Nero and Loungers are among the latest operators to reopen sites for delivery and takeaway services this week.
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NewsPret to open another 20 shops in London on Friday
Pret will reopen 20 more shops in London on Friday, following a successful trial where it reopened ten shops in the capital. As before, all the outlets will be open for collection and delivery only. Pret said since reopening ten shops on 16 April it had “found a way to operate shops safely and in line with government guidance”.
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NewsPret: What it's like to operate in a lockdown
There are three main reasons for reopening. Firstly, we wanted to find a way to support the NHS and essential workers during this difficult period. Since we temporarily closed, we’ve received several requests from hospitals and healthcare workers wanting access to freshly prepared food. That’s why we’ve initially chosen Pret shops located near hospitals to reopen for takeaway and delivery only.
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OpinionPeter Martin: How to make friends, and influence the right people
The prime minister is safely back in Downing Street, and there are more signs of life in the out-of-home market as the likes of Burger King, Pret a Manger and KFC take tentative steps to reopen sites. But for much of the hospitality and leisure sector the outlook remains uncertain and confusing. Last week’s pronouncement by chief medical officer Chris Whitty that “disruptive” social distancing is likely to be a feature of day-to-day life even until the end of the year, did nothing to calm the nerves of an already under pressure industry.