Coffee and food-to-go chain partners with Waitrose and Amazon to sell branded retail coffee in the UK as coronavirus continues to disrupt traditional store footfall
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Pret A Manger will sell retail packaged coffee in the UK at Waitrose supermarkets and online via Amazon | Photo: Pret A Manger
Pret A Manger has launched partnerships with supermarket chain Waitrose and e-commerce giant Amazon to sell retail packaged coffee in the UK. The new range, which will also be sold in-store, includes Organic Classic Blend Ground Coffee and Organic Espresso Beans, which are the basis for Pret’s filter coffee and espresso-based beverage ranges.
“While this continues to be a challenging year, our aspiration is to bring Pret to more people, in innovative new ways and via new channels. This partnership means our carefully sourced, much-loved coffee will now be even more readily available for customers to enjoy at home,” said Pret A Manger UK Managing Director Clare Clough.
Pret has been hit hard by UK lockdowns and a sharp increase in home working, which have decimated footfall around its core travel hub and office building locations. In early November 2020, the coffee chain said it would permanently close six more sites across London following the announcement in August 2020 it would
reduce its UK workforce by 2,800 staff and permanently close 30 stores.
Launching retail coffee products marks the latest move by the JAB Holdings-controlled company to diversify its operations as consumers adopt new coffee consumption patterns. In September 2020, Pret launched ‘
YourPret Barista’, a coffee subscription service offering up to five barista-made coffees, teas, and hot chocolates per day for a £20 ($26) monthly subscription.