Pret’s performance in airports has been the most positive surprise to date of the UK’s relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions | Photo credit: Heathrow Airport

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Pret A Manger has enjoyed a doubling of coffee and sandwich sales at UK airports since the beginning of the year, according to Bloomberg’s Pret Index.  

The UK food-to-go and coffee chain's sites at London’s Heathrow, Gatwick, City and Luton airports are now operating approximately a third higher than they were before the pandemic, with sales growth rising continuously for the last six weeks. 

Pano Christou, Pret's CEO, said in an interview with Bloomberg that the chain’s performance in airports has been the most positive surprise to date of the UK’s relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions. 

The Pret Index also indicates that Pret has exceeded pre-pandemic levels in clusters such as London’s suburbs and the West End entertainment and shopping district, although lower sales are still being recorded in the capital's financial districts, with bankers, asset managers and corporate lawyers still opting to spend some days of the week working from home. 

Last year, Pret A Manger prioritised growth in suburban and regional areas of London following an anticipated continuation of hybrid home-and-office working arrangements. Bloomberg suggests that sales in these areas are steady, having surpassed pre-Covid levels since the start of 2022. 

Despite the success seen in London, Pret's sales in New York, Paris and Hong Kong are still below pre-pandemic levels, with New York City's fifth Covid-19 wave stagnating already slow sales.