Greggs, the 1,571-strong high street bakery and café operator, put clear daylight between itself and Subway in 2011, opening 84 new sites during the year, according to the latest BB75 update from M&C Report’s sister publication British Baker.
Number three placed Costa opened the most outlets during the year, 177, as the “big three” now account for almost half of the shops on the entire list, with their grip on the sector only likely to tighten in the coming years.
Costa now has 1,352 sites in the UK, 72 behind the 1,424-strong Subway.
Greggs plans to open a further 90 stores in 2012, while Subway plans to open a further 600 sites by 2015. Costa is planning 300 more stores by the end of 2012.
The top 10 companies in the BB75 list opened 414 stores net in 2011, while the 65 remaining companies on the list opened just 88.
Patisserie Holdings, the parent company of Patisserie Valerie and Druckers, led the expansion in the specialist retailer category, opening 17 sites in the year to take its estate to 88. It was followed by West Cornwall Pasty Co., which opened four to grow to 75.
