Pret A Manger is to shut or rebrand the majority of its remaining Veggie Pret sites after the concept failed to take off, The Telegraph has reported.
The multichannel retailer launched its first permanent Veggie Pret site six years ago, following a successful stint as a pop-up, but has recently closed four stores for good and converted its site in Canary Wharf into a regular Pret.
Only this summer, Pret had told MCA it was still committed to Veggie Pret and was constantly assessing new Pret shop opening opportunities. But it’s understood it now plans to convert two other Veggie Pret sites, in Manchester and London.
Pret said the decision was driven by the fact vegetarian and vegan options were now widely available at all its stores, giving customers less reason to seek out the specialist shops.
A spokesman said: “Over half of our menu is vegetarian or vegan, with meat-free and vegan options accounting for one in three of our main meals sales.
Pret said its focus was no on growing its extensive vegetarian and vegan range in all of its shops.
Two Veggie Prets will remain, which will act as a test-bed for new products to be rolled out to the wider estate.
As part of its goal to double the size of its business within the next five years, Pret just has announced it has reached an initial agreement with Fox Group and Yarzin Sella Group to introduce the Pret brand in Israel.
Fox Group is a multi-national retail group with over 1,000 stores, 23 owned and franchised brands, and over 10,000 employees around the world. This will be the company’s first foray into the food industry, and it will be working with global foodservice business Yarzin Sella Group to bring Pret’s range of food and drink to the country.
Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger, said: “We are still in the early stages but are delighted to have reached an initial agreement to bring Pret’s freshly made food and organic coffee to customers in Israel.
“Over the past year we have stepped up our international expansion and growth plans, working with our franchise partners to introduce Pret to new markets. We’re looking forward to seeing how consumers in Israel respond to the great taste and innovation from Pret and hope we are a welcome addition to the food-to-go market for all.”
