Pret to grow retail range ahead of suburban expansion

The Times​ reports​​ that Pret has agreed a deal with Britain’s biggest supermarket, which will initially see frozen Pret croissants for baking at home sold in 700 Tesco stores.

It comes ahead of the group's plans to grow its suburban estate in response to the impact of the pandemic on city centres.

Clare Clough, Pret’s UK managing director, said that in the future its dressings and sauces could also be sold in supermarkets.

The group already sells branded bags of coffee via Amazon, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.

Pret hopes the Tesco deal will help win new customers ahead of its plan to open more sites in suburban areas.

According to Clough, the expansion will be driven by a mix of company-owned and franchised openings.

“We really believe in the power of Pret as a national brand,” she told The Times​.

Pret has become somewhat symbolic of the financial pain suffered by high-street operators as a result of the Coronavirus crises.

Last summer the chain said the impact of the pandemic had set sales back 10 years, with trade across its 367 high street sites down 60% year on year.

The group has so far been forced to close 36 of its sites, with more than 3,000 employees made redundant.