Pret A Manger to add 250 U.S. stores by 2029

Pret A Manger is growing its footprint in the United States.

The privately-held U.K. quick-service sandwich and coffee chain, which currently has some 58 U.S. locations,  is targeting a total of 300 U.S. stores by 2029, reported Reuters. As part its plan to accelerate growth, Pret has entered into a partnership with existing franchisee Dallas International that gives the franchisee operational control of roughly 50 Pret shops in New York, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C., along with  exclusive rights to open new shops in these markets.

Dallas intends to refurbish a number of stores and work with Pret to develop shop formats, including drive-thru’s. The company will also open more than 10 new Pret shops on the East Coast by 2026. In December 2022, Dallas agreed to develop at least 40 locations Prets over several years in Southern California.

Pret’s expansion plans include growing its presence in the country through a combination of new equity shops and additional franchise agreements.

“We have huge ambitions for Pret to become a more globally recognized brand that is working in partnership with our franchisees to unlock significant growth in new markets,” stated Pano Christou, CEO, Pret A Manger, which has more than 600 shops in 15 international market. “This approach has driven significant growth in Europe and Asia and enabled Pret to track ahead of its mid-term global growth target to double the size of the business by 2026. We look forward to replicating these results in the United States, building upon our already successful partnership with Dallas as we jointly pursue our next phase of growth.”

Pret is focused on opening more locations in regional and suburban areas as it moves beyond its traditional focus on cities and office-oriented locations, according to the Reuters report. In the U.K., where Pret has more than 450 stores, it is growing ten-times faster outside of urban centers, the report said.

In the U.S., Pret is set to reopen its Chicago market and is looking into further growth and franchise opportunities in Texas, Florida and Washington State.