Morrisons supermarket takes a bite out of £3bn sandwich market November 2, 2015 Morrisons is going head-to-head high street chains such as Pret a Manger and EAT by launching its own range freshly made sandwiches, as the embattled chain looks to revive sales at its stores. Britain’s food-to-go market is expanding rapidly along with changing consumer habits and is now worth around £6bn, with the sandwich market worth around [...]
Starbucks, Costa, Caffe Nero, Wild Bean Cafe and Pret A Manger compared: Where does your morning coffee cost the most? October 12, 2015 The United Kingdom adores coffee: a cup of java can now be sought out on almost every street in London, and there is no shortage of punters. That's why coffee enthusiasts can choose from (wait for it): Starbucks, Costa, Caffe Nero, Wild Bean Cafe, Pret A Manger, and a range of smaller independent coffee shops. Read more: Starbucks lets [...]
London sushi chain Itsu drives sales up with growing customer numbers October 6, 2015 Food conscious Britons seeking out healthier lunch options helped to drive up sales at Itsu by more than a fifth last year. The sushi specialist, launched by Pret a Manger founder Julian Metcalfe, posted a 20.8 per cent rise in turnover to £67.9m in the year to January, with like-for-like sales up by 6.8 [...]
Itsu gobbles up more customers as profits jumps September 29, 2015 FOOD conscious Britons seeking out healthier lunch options helped to drive up sales at Itsu by more than a fifth last year. The sushi specialist, launched by Pret a Manger founder Julian Metcalfe, posted a 20.8 per cent rise in turnover to £67.9m in the year to January, with like-for-like sales up by 6.8 per [...]
Why the government should take outsourcing a radical step further August 17, 2015 Government raids on the methodology of business are commonplace. Some are more successful than others. But as the challenge of George Osborne’s edict to contemplate departmental cuts of as much as 40 per cent sinks in, the search will intensify. As I sat recently in the splendidly refurbished BT Tower – a guest of [...]
Pret a Manger float? No IPO appetite from owners Bridgepoint August 9, 2015 Bridgepoint, the private equity owner of Pret a Manger, has poured cold water on a report that it could potentially float the lunchtime favourite of City workers. The sandwich chain already has interest from potential bidders, Reuters reports, and is considering a market listing for 2016, maybe in the US, citing unnamed sources. A Bridgepoint [...]
Hotel Chocolat co-founder Angus Thirlwell on how he built a chocolate empire July 12, 2015 Europe is awash with chocolatiers and the British consumer is spoilt for choice. So the idea that someone could set up a chocolate company with £10,000 and take it from startup to a market-conquering beast in just a decade seems a little far fetched. But that is what Angus Thirlwell and his business partner Peter [...]
Pret-a-Protest: Sandwiches provoke boos June 21, 2015 If Saturday’s protest taught us anything, it’s that people love swearing. A small group of 20 protestors – salacious banners in-tow – jeered at people going into the local Pret-a-Manger for a much needed tea-break. “I was booed mercilessly for going to Pret,” activist Sophie Higgins told The Capitalist: “I should’ve seen it coming really.” [...]
Apple Pay in the UK: These are the retailers and restaurants signed up for the July launch June 9, 2015 Some of the UK's biggest retailers are lining up to start accepting Apple Pay when it launches in the UK next month. As well as being able to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to seamlessly glide through ticket barriers on the Tube, the Silicon Valley giant has its finger hovering over the button [...]
Bridgepoint gets theatrical with £356m deal for Nordic Cinema April 28, 2015 BRIDGEPOINT yesterday snapped up the Nordic Cinema Group, the region’s biggest movie theatre chain, for 4.7bn Swedish crowns (£356m). The Pret-a-manger owner has agreed to buy a 58 per cent stake owned by previous private equity owner Ratos and a 40 per cent stake belonging to media group Bonnier. Management retains a stake and Bonnier [...]