Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Kieran Isgin

Pret A Manger boss who started from the 'bottom too' explains third staff pay rise in a year

The CEO of Pret A Manger warned that prices at his chains may go up due to food inflation but hasn't ruled out additional pay increases for his workers.

Pano Christou explained that he knows what it's like for workers to struggle on low wages due to his upbringing in a low-paid household. It comes after the CEO confirmed a third wage rise for his chain's staff members within a year.

He highlighted that the pay rise was fair for his workers and that he wants the business to stand out against its competitors, the Mirror reports.

Read more: From Michelin star kitchens to a village pub... chef Gary Usher's new spot is a gem

Mr Christou said: “If you pay people what they should be paid, you shouldn’t have a staff problem. I want us to pay more than the competition.” He added that he “wouldn’t be surprised” if it looked at another increase “at some point this year.

The 45-year-old continued: "It depends on ­inflation, whether it continues to push up.” From April 1, more than 7,800 UK shop staff will receive an extra 3 per cent pay rise - resulting in a total increase of 19 per cent in the last 12 months.

At £10.60 an hour, the lowest paid staff will receive 18p an hour above the national living wage for 23-year-olds and above. However, Pret stressed that a very small number of workers are on this rate and that "team members" will get between £11.85 and £13.15 an hour.

'If you pay people what they deserve, you shouldn't have a staff problem' the CEO claims (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

Meanwhile, baristas will get up to £14.10 an hour. This is alongside other staff benefits already in place such as free food and drinks on shift and a 50 per cent discount at other times.

Mr Christou, who took over in 2019 after joining the business aged 22, started work at McDonald’s when he was 16 - he only earned £2.75 an hour. The married father-of-two grew up in Tooting, South London. His dad, half Greek, half Italian, was a mini-cab driver and his mum, from Cyprus, a nurse who, at one stage, also worked as a cleaner for extra cash.

Mr Christou said: “My first job, at 14/15, was delivering mini-cabs cards through doors. I washed my father’s car every Sunday. He would pay me a pound or two, but I would probably find more change under the seats then he paid me.”

His clothes would often come from jumble sales and he struggled at school. He added: “There were gangs, though I wasn’t part of that. There were knives."

Pret CEO Pano Christou says he knows what life is like for struggling staff after growing up in a low-paid household (Philip Coburn /Daily Mirror)

While Mr Christou's parents were disheartened that he decided to work at McDonald's instead of going to university, he said they are now "proud" of his current success. He also takes pride in the Pret Foundation - the company's charity arm which donates unsold food to homeless shelters and other charities.

Mr Christou has noticed the rise in demand through the charities it works with. He said: “Rental prices are going up so significantly, so people are spending more time in the shelters as they can’t afford the cost of living.”

Asked if more price rises are on the way, Mr Christou replied: “If we continue to see food inflation as it is, it becomes very hard for us to hold everything down.”

Pret had to axe 3,000 jobs in the pandemic to save the business. But it is growing again, with plans to open 50 stores this year, taking the total to 500. The firm has 180 shops abroad and hopes to open one in India next month.

Read next:

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.