Pret A Manger also operates stores in the UK, France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland | Photo credit: Pret A Manger

UK-based Pret A Manger has opened its first store in Luxembourg within the mixed-use Royal-Hamilius complex in Luxembourg City. 
 

Luxembourg is Pret A Manger’s seventh European market after the UK, France, Ireland, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland. 
 

Having delayed its Luxembourg debut in 2019 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Pret A Manger said it will take a cautious approach to expansion in the country. However, Stéphane Klein, Managing Director of Pret Europe, said he hopes to have ‘several’ stores in Luxembourg in the coming years.
 

“Opening our first Pret A Manger in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is a fantastic moment for Pret. Unfortunately, the health crisis delayed this wonderful project, but we are now all very proud of this first opening. We are all very optimistic, and I hope that we will have the pleasure of welcoming many customers in this first shop to build together the success of Pret in Luxembourg,” he said.

Pret A Manger, which was acquired by Luxembourg-based conglomerate JAB Holdings in 2018 in a deal reportedly worth £1.5bn ($1.8bn), is also reportedly exploring further European expansion, although details have yet to be shared.  

The Royal-Hamilius outlet will prepare all food and beverages on-site, with products and ingredients delivered from the brand's logistics hub south of Paris. Pret A Manger currently operates 45 stores in France. 

However, unlike in the UK and France, Pret A Manger is not currently offering its monthly coffee subscription service in Luxembourg. The service entitles subscribers to five hot and cold beverages per day for £25 ($31) a-month in the UK and €25 ($27) in France. 

With a population of just over 640,000, Luxembourg has a heavily food-focused branded coffee shop market similar to neighbouring France, Belgium and Germany. 

World Coffee Portal research shows Luxembourg’s branded coffee shop market exceeds 117 outlets, more than 100 of which belong to food-focused chains. The market is led by domestic bakery café chain Fischer, with 60 stores. 

The Luxembourgian branded coffee shop market is forecast to reach 160 outlets by 2028. 

In September 2022, Pret A Manger CEO Pano Christou said he wanted to oversee a ‘genuinely worldwide’ business and will continue to pursue growth in new markets. 

Alongside recent market entries in Canada, Ireland, Kuwait and India, the coffee and food-to-go chain is also slated to open in Spain, Portugal, Qatar and Israel this year.