Pret 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”.