In an announcement that will bring delight to the fans of pastry based treats and despair to the nations doctors, Greggs has confirmed that its breakfast bacon roll (or bap) is now the most popular breakfast food item bought in the morning – having overtaken the McMuffins offered by the mighty McDonalds. Tasty and well priced – what’s not to like?
The bakery chain, best known for sausage and vegan rolls, said that bringing forward opening times to 5am or 6am in some shops has boosted its share of all morning visits for food to 19.6%. In common with other mass market food chains, it uses meal deals and on the back of this its popular bacon roll has won a new wave of breakfast custom, albeit my vote is for the bacon and sausage roll.
The Newcastle-based firm is also at the forefront of modern corporate practices, as it announced 25,000 workers would be sharing a £17.6 million bonus pot. This was triggered by record annual profits, rising from £148.3 million to £167.7 million. Sales jumped by a fifth to more than £1.8 billion. Greggs hands around 10% of profits each year to staff who have done at least six months.
The increasing size of Greggs (and perhaps its customers) shows no sign of slacking as this Northern powerhouse increases its presence in Southern England. It has also got a lock on the strategic market of railway stations with their time-conscious commuter traffic clearly a significant part of the success story.
Greggs is rapidly opening new stores and had 2,473 by the end of 2023. It plans to add between 140 to 160 outlets this year, creating more than 1,400 jobs with a medium term aim of 3,000 or more stores.
Related post: Greggs launches first ‘fine dining’ bistro in Newcastle
