Pret ups loyalty play, increases Club Pret discount to 20% and launches worldwide: Pret A Manger, the JAB Holdings-backed business, has announced an expansion of its subscription offer from 5 September that will see the discount for Club Pret double from 10% to 20%, which the brand said marks the next evolution of its loyalty and digital strategy. The company said subscribers will enjoy 20% off everything sold in-shop as well as up to five barista-prepared drinks per day for £30 per month, with new subscribers getting their first month half-price. It said the expansion of the scheme builds on the success of Club Pret since its launch in April, with 17.8 million redemptions in its first three months, up 31% year-on-year (year-on-year comparison with redemptions of the Pret coffee subscription for the same period in 2022). The brand said Club Pret transactions are also up 33% month-on-month since its launch in April, while one in five Club Pret transactions now include a purchase alongside the redemption of a barista-made drink. It said that on the back of its success in the UK, Club Pret will also launch in its first international markets, starting with the US in September and France in November, with plans to take the offer across all other global markets from 2024. The company said: “Club Pret is central to Pret’s digital transformation as the business continues to serve customers through more channels than ever before. Digital has been critical to Pret’s return to profitability, and thanks largely to Club Pret, revenue rose 20.2% in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period in 2022. This included record sales weeks in May and June, driven by the expanded subscription’s early success.” The business previously said that digital transactions accounted for 42% of transactions during the first half of 2023. Pano Christou, chief executive of Pret A Manger, said: “Club Pret was built on the idea of rewarding our most loyal customers, giving them more reasons to visit Pret and helping them enjoy everything our menu has to offer. Since we relaunched the subscription, we’re seeing more customers pick up their favourite baguette or croissant with their usual coffee fix, making the most of Club Pret throughout the day and sharing the benefits with their friends and colleagues. We’re now ready to take this even further, doubling the Club Pret discount and expanding this offer to customers outside of the UK. Club Pret has become a critical part of our growth strategy and we’re excited to bring it to more people than ever before, delivering great value in the process.”
July sees second month of delivery and takeaway sales growth for restaurant groups: Britain’s top managed restaurant groups achieved year-on-year growth in delivery and takeaway sales of 4% in July, CGA by NIQ’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker shows. It is a second successive month of growth, following an extended post-covid fall in sales which saw the Tracker record 18 negative months in a row, as consumers returned to eating out rather than ordering deliveries and takeaways. Groups’ delivery and takeaway/click and collect sales were ahead by 6% and 2% respectively in July, but order volumes fell by 4% and 2%. This is an indication that trading growth is being achieved by higher menu prices rather than by increased consumer demand, the Tracker said. Combined delivery and takeaway sales accounted for 14% of restaurant groups’ total sales in July, while food and drink took shares of 91% and 9% respectively. Karl Chessell, CGA’s director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “After the post-lockdown slump, restaurants’ delivery and takeaway sales may be settling into a new normal of modest year-on-year growth. This is a solid performance in the context of tight spending, but the ongoing drop in volumes suggests that price rises may be leading some people to reduce the frequency of their deliveries and takeaways. Until pressures on household bills ease, it will be difficult for many groups to achieve sustained delivery and takeaway sales growth above the rate of inflation.”
