Pret to launch first full kids’ menu: Pret A Manger will today (Tuesday 16 January) roll out its first full menu designed specifically for kids aged four to ten years old. The new range will initially be available in 70% of Pret’s shops, aiming to help expand its customer base as it focuses its growth outside of London. Over the past few years, Pret has been accelerating its expansion with franchise partners into areas outside the capital, including recent openings in Bishop’s Stortford, Colchester and Worthing. Other shops across the country are seeing strong trading, particularly in areas such as Yorkshire and Manchester. Just like Pret’s main menu, all products in the kids’ range will be made fresh in shops throughout the day, using the same high-quality ingredients as Pret classics. The kids’ ham triangle sandwiches are made with the same Wiltshire cured ham as Pret’s best-selling ham and greve baguette, but with thinner slices more suitable for children, while the hummus and cucumber pot has been redesigned with a separate pot following feedback from a kids’ tasting panel. Other products in the range include kids’ cheese triangle sandwiches, kids’ chicken and cucumber triangle sandwiches, a kids’ pizza toastie and a kids’ mango and banana yoghurt pot – all with packaging designed by kids. To accompany their meal, children can enjoy a free barista-made babycino, while Club Pret subscribers get 20% off the entire range. It will be rolled out to more shops throughout 2024, with a view to also expanding into snacks and treats along the way. Clare Clough, UK & Ireland managing director at Pret, said: “Launching Pret’s first full kids’ range has long been a personal ambition and we’ve worked closely with our food development team, franchise partners and even our extended Pret family to create a menu we’re proud of, using the same high-quality ingredients found in several Pret classics that kids will love. It’s a major milestone within our transformation journey to bring Pret to a more diverse customer-base across the country, from office workers to entire families and everyone in between. We felt it was the right time to expand our menu offer as we continue to focus our growth outside of London. We can’t wait to hear the feedback and are excited to create a new role for Pret within the lives of customers.” Pret A Manger features in the Propel Turnover & Profits Blue Book. Its turnover of £790,100,000 for the year ending 1 January 2023 is the 18th highest in the database. The Blue Book ranks companies by turnover, profit and profit conversion, listing directors’ earnings for the past five years. Companies can now have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. The single subscription rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.

Scottish government urged not to make the same mistakes as with DRS as it debates visitor levy: The Scottish government has been urged not to make the same mistakes as with the country’s ill-fated deposit return scheme (DRS) as it debates a potential visitor levy. Scotland’s DRS will now not take place until at least October 2025 after being twice delayed, leading to the company set up to administer it going into administration last summer. UKHospitality Scotland has now told Holyrood to put businesses at the centre of the debate over the Visitor Levy Bill to avoid another unhappy outcome. The trade body has called for a cap on any levy to be included in legislation, to avoid excessive charges, and for funds raised to be invested back into the visitor economy. Leon Thompson, executive director for UKHospitality Scotland, said: “Close engagement with business is critical for new legislation like the Visitor Levy Bill. We saw the disastrous consequences when business isn’t listened to during the development of the shambolic deposit return scheme, and that must be avoided. As the bill heads to the Scottish parliament, other business-critical issues like cost recovery and a cap on charges need to be addressed. The most logical way to do this would be through a detailed economic assessment of the impact of the visitor levy on accommodation businesses, the economy and tourism in Scotland. This would plainly set out the facts of the impact of the levy and can be the basis of a discussion of how businesses can recoup their costs, which is entirely fair and reasonable.”