Pret A Manger to trial selling products at Canada's A&W restaurants

Pret A Manger will bring its products to customers in A&W restaurants in Canada | Photo credit: Pret A Manger

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Pret A Manger has reached an initial agreement with A&W Food Services of Canada to exclusively licence the sale of its food and coffee products at A&W fast food restaurants in Canada. 
 
If the initial two-year pilot is successful, A&W will be granted exclusive rights to expand the Pret brand across Canada, pending an agreed development plan.
 
“Over the past year, we delivered more change than in thirty years of Pret history – and it’s all about bringing Pret to more people in new markets around the world. The pandemic has shown that even at the darkest moments, more people want to experience Pret and I’m looking forward to working with A&W and seeing how Canadians take to the great taste of Pret,” said Pano Christou, Chief Executive Officer, Pret A Manger.
 
The JAB Holdings-controlled coffee and food-to-go chain has diversified its sales channels to counter severe pandemic trading disruption over the last 18 months, opening concession stores in UK supermarkets, introducing more neighbourhood locations, and launching a coffee subscription service in the US. 
 
In October 2021, Pret partnered with fellow JAB Holdings brand, JDE Peet’s, to introduce new Pret Express self-serve machines. The launch came hot on the heels of an annoucement in September  that Pret planned to double the size of its business by 2023 by opening 200 new stores in the UK and Ireland and enter new international markets.

Founded in 1956 A&W is one of Canada’s largest quick service food operators, with more than 1,000 locations across the country.