Pret A Manger has today announced it will open new shops in petrol stations owned by Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the largest forecourt operator in the UK with over 900 sites nationwide.
Through its partnership with MFG, Pret will initially trial one shop in the MFG owned and BP branded station in Southgate, London – its first foray into forecourts globally, with a view to opening a second shop by the end of 2022.
The partnership with MFG marks another significant step in Pret’s transformation plan to bring Pret to more people. The shop in the MFG Southgate site will serve a menu of freshly prepared food and organic coffee and teas, all prepared in Pret’s bespoke full onsite kitchens throughout the day.
Coffees and other hot drinks will be prepared by baristas trained by Pret for customers to enjoy so the same Pret experience of the high street is brought seamlessly to the forecourt.
Clare Clough, UK Managing Director of Pret A Manger, commented, “We are delighted to have partnered with Motor Fuel Group so that more people can access Pret’s freshly made food and organic coffee when they are on the move.
'Since the start of the pandemic, we have looked for innovative ways to bring Pret to more people, and partnerships, such as this one, are an important part of this strategy. We hope that customers will enjoy this new concept and we look forward to working more closely with the MFG team in the coming months.”
William Bannister, CEO of MFG, said, “We are proud to become the first forecourt operator globally to welcome a Pret on site for consumers who want a more premium experience. We pride ourselves on not only serving the motorist but on also being a leading convenience retailer.
'The fact that such a well-known and trusted high street brand as Pret has decided to trial their very first forecourt partnership with MFG cements our commitment to being a one-stop offering for both our local communities and those travelling through.
'We look forward to working with the Pret team on what I am sure will be a hugely successful and popular addition for our customers.”
This follows the launch of Pret’s first ever supermarket range, with bake-at-home frozen croissants and granolas available in up to 700 Tesco stores across the country and Tesco.com.
Pret has been exploring new shop formats to help customers access its freshly prepared food on the road and outside major cities. In October 2020, Pret announced a new partnership with Moto, which will allow the company to expand its motorway service estate to three shops in the UK.
The first shop at Cherwell Valley opened in December 2020, followed by a second shop at Moto’s brand-new Rugby service which opened last month.