British Bakery Chain Greggs to Open 100 New Branches

Bakery chain Greggs is set to open 100 new locations this year after seeing success from its new ranges – including the vegan sausage roll.

New shop pipeline remains strong, with the chain expecting around 100 net openings in 2019 (c.40 franchised). It is also planning to test late-night opening at some locations and autumn focus on hot food range supports extended shop opening hours.

Greggs’ officials say that the first half of the year has been described as ‘exceptional’ for the company. Chief Executive Roger Whiteside said: “Greggs has delivered an exceptional first-half performance. Given the strength of our year to date and the outlook, we have decided to increase investment in strategic initiatives in the second half of the year. Sales for Greggs are up 14.7% to GBP546m in the first half of the year and reported pre-tax profit hit GBP36.7m – 52% higher than the same period last year.

The results presented by Greggs, also show that growth categories continue to be hot drinks, breakfast, hot food and dietary choice. Increased customer visits are driving sales of traditional bakery products, with vegan-friendly sausage roll becoming a top seller, which has driven growth in the broader savory category. Sweet product sales have benefited from improved quality following investment. Furthermore, marketing initiatives drove an increased number of customer visits. The popularity of the Fairtrade coffee puts Greggs third in UK coffee market.