Pret A Manger to trial Tesco supermarket store partnership

A Pret A Manger store in London, UK 

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Pret A Manger has announced it will begin opening store concessions within Tesco supermarkets in the UK. The move comes as the coffee and food to-go chain seeks to broaden its customer base following severe disruption to office worker and commuter hub trade during the pandemic.
 
In an interview with The Times, Pret CEO Pano Christou, said wanted he wanted to broaden the company’s appeal beyond its traditional London customer base.
 
“Instead of Pret following the skyscrapers, for us it’s about bringing Pret to the people. This could be an opportunity for us to do that, dependent on how the test goes,” Christou said. “Tesco is a bit more value and Pret is a bit more premium,” he added.
 
The first Pret concession store with Tesco will open in June 2021 at the Tesco Superstore in Kensington, west London, with another four to follow during the summer. Cristou has indicated the new stores will follow a ‘kiosk’ style format and could be takeaway-only.
 
The partnership is the latest diversification strategy announced by Pret as it seeks to adapt its business model to new trading realities in the wake of the pandemic. It comes shortly after the JAB Holdings-controlled company secured £185m ($261m) from shareholders to shore up its finances and continue the development of new sales channels in the wake of sustained Covid-19 disruption.

In November 2020, the coffee chain partnered with UK supermarket Waitrose and online giant Amazon to sell branded retail packaged coffee direct to consumers. It has also established a delivery service with third-party providers Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats and has trialled a ‘Dinner by Pret’ at-home food proposition.
 
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, in the UK.