Pret a Manger axes 2,800 jobs across UK chains
Pret a Manger has axed 2,800 jobs across its UK chains after completing a restructuring of the business.
Chief executive officer Pano Christou said he was gutted to lose ‘so many colleagues’. He continued: ‘Although we’re now starting to see a steady but slow recovery, the pandemic has taken away almost a decade of growth at Pret.
‘We’ve managed to protect many jobs by making changes to the way we run our shops and the hours we ask team members to work.
‘I’m hopeful we’ll be able to review all these changes now that trade is improving again, and I’m encouraged by the improvements we’re seeing every week.’
Mr Christou added that they would soon be announcing several ‘big changes’ that will help ‘bring Pret to more people’.
He went on: ‘We’re grateful to the government for the support they’ve given our sector, and hope that support will continue as long as possible to give Pret time to adjust.’
In July, Pret confirmed that they would not be reopening 30 of their UK stores after sales plummeted amid the pandemic.
The firm said their footfall remained low, with sales down 74% compared with the same time last year, adding that they could not continue with the same business model from before the pandemic hit.
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