Smell the coffee: Pret A Manger sold after 10 years with Bridgepoint May 29, 2018 Sandwich chain Pret A Manger has been sold by its private equity owners for an undisclosed sum, with reports suggesting it could be as much as £1.5bn. JAB Holdings has snapped up the ubiquitous cafe from its owners Bridgepoint, who have been looking to offload it for some months. JAB is acquiring its stake in [...]
Smell the coffee: Pret A Manger sold after 10 years with Bridgepoint May 29, 2018 Sandwich chain Pret A Manger has been sold by its private equity owners for an undisclosed sum, with reports suggesting it could be as much as £1.5bn JAB Holdings has snapped up the ubiquitous cafe from its owners Bridgepoint, who have been looking to offload it for some months. JAB is acquiring its stake in [...]
UK top pubs, restaurants and cafes ranked: Costa, Greggs and Wetherspoon top consumer opinion poll of high street brands with the best reputation April 20, 2018 Public perception is rising for a clutch of major high street food and drink brands, a new report has revealed. Costa, Greggs and JD Wetherspoon have gained the most momentum when it comes to consumer attitudes, data research company CGA said. The report ranks operators by how fast they are building their brand awareness, positive [...]
Pret a Manger to give away 300,000 coffees in London and the rest of the UK March 19, 2018 Pret a Manger may already be known for giving out the occasional free coffee to a stressed out commuter, but this week will see the chain hand over 300,000 tokens for free drinks. However, Pret is encouraging customers to pass the tokens on to someone else, in an effort to spread a little joy. “We [...]
Top of the food chain: Meet the company helping street-food vendors become the next big thing February 8, 2018 Londoners have a growing obsession with good food. Our European cousins may have scoffed at British cuisine in the past, but a change has taken place over recent years. The multicultural nature of our city means we have been flooded with influences from all around the world, and we now boast an entire smorgasbord [...]
Making a meal of it: EAT could close portion of 100-strong portfolio as competition bites February 6, 2018 High street sandwich shop EAT has become the latest food chain to consider closing a raft of stores. The 100-strong chain is looking at restructuring ts portfolio, with a possible company voluntary arrangement (CVA) on the table, according to Sky News. It follows the likes of Byron and Jamie’s Italian, which have both been forced [...]
Pret a Manger private equity owner Bridgepoint confirms Burger King UK franchise buyout November 16, 2017 Pret a Manger owner Bridgepoint has confirmed that it will become the master franchisee of the Burger King brand in the UK. Reaching an agreement for an undisclosed amount with Burger King Europe, Bridgepoint will also acquire Caspian UK Group, one of the UK’s largest Burger King franchisees with 74 restaurants across the country. The [...]
Battle of the sarnies: From Tesco to Benugo, which Christmas sandwich will come top of our list this year, and which one was literally inedible? November 15, 2017 We set off into the City to gather festive sandwiches from supermarkets and fast food chains far and wide to see which of them is worthy of Santa himself, and which were a nightmare before Christmas. Eat Turkey and cranberry sandwich ★★★☆☆ Tastes alright, but nothing to write to Santa about. Solid fillings, pleasantly sweet [...]
Brewdog considers New York Stock Exchange float in London snub October 19, 2017 Brewdog could snub London to list in the US when the beer business floats. Co-founder James Watt said in an interview with City A.M. that the irreverent Scottish brewery could choose the New York Stock Exchange for an IPO. It follows a push by Brewdog to expand into the US, having built a brewing facility [...]
Pret a Manger brushes off Jollibee takeover rumours | City A.M. September 19, 2017 Pret a Manger intends to push ahead with its plans for a possible float on the New York Stock Exchange despite speculation a multi-billion-dollar Filipino business is eyeing a takeover bid for the coffee and sandwich chain. City A.M. understands that Jollibee and Pret have not been in contact with each other on the potential [...]