Pret A Manger operates approximately 600 stores globally | Photo credit: Pret A Manger

UK-based Pret A Manger is expanding its operations in the UAE with five new stores set to open in Dubai by the end of 2023. 
 

The coffee and food-to-go chain entered the UAE in 2016 and currently operates three stores in Dubai via local franchisee Emirates Leisure Retail. 

Pret A Manger will expand in the city with new stores at the Index Mall and Bay Avenue Mall shopping centres in July 2023, with three further outlets slated to open within the next six months. 

Eira Jarvis, Pret A Manger’s Managing Director for Asia, said the chain’s three existing stores in DIFC and DXB Airport have been a ‘huge success’ and highlight ‘extraordinary’ demand for the brand in the UAE.  

“Since we launched Pret in Dubai, the response has been incredible, so opening these new shops is a natural next step as we continue growing to meet demand from Pret fans across the city. From office coffee runs to pit stops for breakfast, lunch, or snacks, we’re excited to be bringing our freshly made food and organic coffee to even more people,” she said. 

Emirates Leisure Retail is expected to open 20 Pret A Manger stores in the UAE over the next few years. 

Founded in London in 1986, Pret A Manger operates approximately 600 stores globally. Its UAE expansion follows several recent market entries as the coffee and food-to-go chain seeks to become a ‘genuinely worldwide’ business. 

In April 2023 Pret A Manger made its India debut with a store in Mumbai, before increasing its European footprint with its first outlets in Luxembourg and Italy the following month. 

The coffee and food-to-go chain is also expected to scale across German-speaking Switzerland this year following an agreement with travel hub operator SSP Group in June 2023, and will debut in Qatar, Israel and Spain and Portugal within the next 12 months.