Greggs has had a strong start to the year, with its sales up more than 11 percent to £693million, thanks to demand for its pizza boxes and southern fried chicken goujons.
The high street favourite said that it performed well during the first 19 weeks of the year, with delivery and evening sales up, in addition to increased customer usage of its smartphone app.
“We have made a good start to the year with continued like-for-like growth in a challenging market,” said Greggs chief executive Roisin Currie.
So far, it has opened 64 new stores this year, of which 15 were with its franchise partners, and closed 37, leaving its estate at 2,500. Greggs said it is confident of opening up to 160 net new stores this year as its pipeline is strong, particularly at supermarkets.
She added that the Newcastle-based bakery chain is progressing with plans to build both a manufacturing site and a chilled and ambient goods distribution centre in the Midlands. The sites are expected to be operational in late 2026 / early 2027 and will give it the ability to service 3,500 stores.
Greggs added that although it expects its costs to grow 4-5 percent this year, it expects to meet its full year targets.
