Greggs’ expansion across the country showed no signs of slowing today as it overtook Subway to become the biggest fast-food chain in the UK.
The Newcastle-based baker has opened 82 net new shops since the start of the year, taking its total store estate past 2,400, topping the roughly 2,300 Subways nationwide. It plans to reach as many as 145 net openings by the end of 2023 — a record for the number of new shops in a year. In London, a new site recently opened at Waterloo station, taking the total in the capital to 40, and two more are planned at Richmond station and Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush.
It said there was an opportunity to expand to more than 3,000 sites across the UK. The firm today reported a 20.8% jump in sales for the 13 weeks to the end of September, as more customers flocked to stores for its low-cost sandwiches and sausage rolls.
Its autumn menu includes a spicy chicken and veg bhaji baguette, a cheese and honey mustard toastie, a veg bhaji flatbread and mozzarella and cheddar bites.
Greggs boss Roisin Currie said: “Price remains paramount. We are seeing inflation easing in areas such as dairy and vegetable oils and less volatility in energy. But we’re still seeing inflation in areas such as proteins and flour.” She added that there were no planned in-store price rises on the horizon.
Greggs expanded its online offering with a new partnership with Uber Eats, and said evening trade was an increasingly important part of its business, with its share of total sales at 8.8%.
Evening trade was also becoming a priority for Mexican fast-food chain Tortilla, the firm said today as it hoped to lure customers to its stores away from premium restaurants with the offer of cut-price booze.
Under the firm’s “Tortilla Sunsets” promotion, £2.50 beer and cocktails have been added to the evening menu, which CEO Richard Morris said could be the cheapest drinks offer in London: “We want to create a restaurant vibe in the evenings with dimmer lights and music.”
Tortilla saw strong revenue growth, with sales up 22% to £32.7 million in the first six months of the year, but swung from a small profit to a £600,000 loss.
