Pret A Manger's 2015 sales up 14% as vegetarian demand grows

Sandwich chain Pret A Manger reported a jump in 2015 sales amid increased demand for its vegetarian products.

In the 52 weeks to the end of December, sales were up 13.9% to £676.2m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation rose to £84.3m from £73.6m.

Vegetarian sales showed double-digit growth and avocado was the star of the show as customers ate a total of 5 million.

The company said 14% of total sales came from food and drink items introduced in the last year.

The US was Pret’s fastest-growing market in 2015, with like-for-like sales growth of 13.8%.

During the year, the chain opened up 36 new shops: 23 in the UK, six in the US, four in France and three in Hong Kong. It created 763 new jobs, 500 of which were in the UK.

In the UK, Pret made 58% of its sales outside of lunchtime as demand for breakfast on-the-go increased.

Chief executive Clive Schlee said: “These results represent another year of record sales for Pret. The highlights were a strong performance in the US – our newly opened Penn Station shop has the highest sales per square foot of any Pret in the world – and the opening of two very busy transport hub shops in Paris’ Gare de Lyon station and Nice Airport.

“Pret continues to grow steadily in the UK, adapting its menu to meet demand for healthy options.”