As more Prets are due to pop up across the UK, with 450 stores set to grow to 500 in 2024, food prices have been curtailed.
While a popular sight in many towns and cities across the UK, the coffee shop is set to expand its offerings in more rural areas.
Clare Clough, UK and Ireland managing director at Pret said: “We’ve been looking at opportunities to bring down our prices where possible.”
She added: “We reduced the prices on six of our freshly-made bestselling sandwiches and baguettes.”
Customers can now purchase a tuna baguette for as little as £3.99, which is 26p less than its previous higher price of £4.25.
The Posh Cheddar baguette has also had its price reduced by £1, falling from £4.99 to £3.99.
And 66p has been knocked off its cheese toastie, which now costs customers £4.99. Egg mayo sandwiches have also been reduced in price from £3.40 to £2.99.
But why has the price drop across its sandwiches and toasties occurred? Pret has had to defend its choice to hike the prices of its popular food and drink offerings over the past two years.
Last October, Pret’s franchise director Guy Meakin told The Grocer that prices had increased due to a “really tough market” and increasing energy costs. He added: “Energy costs have gone up through the roof, and are now starting to plateau and come down, which is encouraging – but still significantly higher than before.
“But prices are going up, so unfortunately, we are having to pass our prices through to our customers from time to time.”
Instead of reducing the size of products on offer, it is understood that bosses decided to raise prices instead.
Its subscription service has also increased from £25 per month to £30 per month to tackle declining business during the hard economic backdrop.
Both these factors helped to increase Pret’s profit in 2022 after the coffee shop plunged into a £225million loss during the Covid pandemic.
Now that Pret has made a financial recovery, and is expanding its number of units, the price reduction has been applied to its popular products.
Clare Clough, UK and Ireland managing director at Pret, said: “We’ve been looking at opportunities to bring down our prices where possible.
“Earlier this year, we reduced the prices on six of our freshly made bestselling sandwiches and baguettes by over 10 percent on average, including the much-loved tuna mayo baguette and Jambon Beurre. Our Club Pret subscribers would also receive an additional 20 percent off these products, as well as across our entire menu.”
While some people turn their noses up at the coffee chain that might be viewed as pricey, it’s a big hit with many people.
As Pret continues to grow in popularity, people living in rural communities and commuter towns may see more of them pop up shortly.
