Pret a Manger takes on supermarkets with major new change

Pret a Manger is stepping up its game in the battle for lunchtime customers by trialling meal deals in the UK, a move that brings it directly into competition with long-established supermarket offers. The high street food chain plans to test the new format in the final quarter of 2025 as part of a wider push to boost its brand and bounce back from recent financial setbacks. Details around pricing haven't been confirmed yet, but the deal will reportedly cover both breakfast and lunch options, including a croissant with coffee in the morning, and a classic sandwich, snack, and drink combo at lunch.

It follows a similar launch in France earlier this year, which Pret said has been well received. The trial starts from next week and CEO Pano Christou said the new offering is aimed at strengthening Pret's position in a challenging market.

Mr Christou said: "2024 was another year of growth for Pret, where we took disciplined decisions to protect sales, despite intense strains on the hospitality industry.

"Going forward our priority will be to drive transactions and sustainable growth by offering great value for money for Pret customers.

"Our focus will be on growing Pret's market share in the UK and internationally, prioritising city centres and travel hubs, backed by the experience and expertise of additional world-class board members and a strengthened management team."

Supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury's have long led the way in offering budget-friendly lunch options through their popular meal deals. However, rising food costs have pushed prices up in recent years. As of August 21, 2025, Tesco raised its meal deal prices to £4.25 for non-Clubcard holders and £3.85 for those with a Clubcard.

For over a decade, Tesco kept the cost at £3, only increasing it for the first time in 2022 due to mounting inflation. Meanwhile, Sainsbury's increased the price of its standard meal deal to £3.95 in June 2025, a 20p jump from the £3.75 price introduced just a year earlier, in July 2024.

The move comes as Pret grapples with financial pressure. Last year, the value of the business was reduced by about a third, with parent company JAB recording a £552.9 million non-cash writedown which contributed to a pre-tax loss of £525.5 million, despite underlying operating profits rising by 36% to £98 million.

Pret attributed the writedown to a reassessment of the brand's worth and asset value, the first such adjustment since JAB's £1.5 billion acquisition in 2018.

The company said the review reflected the post-pandemic market and wider economic pressures, including increases to the minimum wage and employer national insurance contributions.

Despite the loss, Pret reported that like-for-like sales increased by 2.8%, and overall revenue grew 10% to £1.2 billion, partly thanks to international expansion.

Pret currently operates 717 stores globally in 21 markets, marking an 11% increase over the previous year, and is especially focused on growing its footprint in the US.