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===Greggs Drive Thru===
===Greggs Drive Thru===
In June 2017, Greggs opened their first [[Drive-through|drive thru]], at Irlam Gateway Service Station in [[City of Salford|Salford]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Boult|first=Adam|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/worlds-first-drive-through-greggs-now-open/|title=The world's first drive-through Greggs is now open|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=8 June 2017|accessdate=12 June 2017}}</ref> Two further outlets have since opened in [[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]] and Blackburn.<ref>{{cite web|author=Post reply |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16835315.third-drive-thru-greggs-in-uk-to-open-at-euro-garages-site/ |title=Third drive-thru Greggs in UK to open at Euro Garages site |publisher=Lancashire Telegraph |date=12 September 2018 |accessdate=5 October 2018}}</ref>
In June 2017, Greggs opened their first [[Drive-through|drive thru]], at Irlam Gateway Service Station in [[City of Salford|Salford]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Boult|first=Adam|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/food-and-drink/news/worlds-first-drive-through-greggs-now-open/|title=The world's first drive-through Greggs is now open|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=8 June 2017|accessdate=12 June 2017}}</ref> Three further outlets have since opened in [[Ashby-de-la-Zouch]], Blackburn and Newcastle.<ref>{{cite web|author=Post reply |url=https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/16835315.third-drive-thru-greggs-in-uk-to-open-at-euro-garages-site/ |title=Third drive-thru Greggs in UK to open at Euro Garages site |publisher=Lancashire Telegraph |date=12 September 2018 |accessdate=5 October 2018}}</ref>


==Products==
==Products==

Revision as of 10:38, 17 July 2019

This article is about the British bakery chain. For the New Zealand coffee, desserts and condiments company, see Gregg's (New Zealand). For the fictional character on The Wire, see Kima Greggs.

Greggs plc
Company typePublic
LSE: GRG
IndustryFood (Bakery Group)
Founded1939; 85 years ago (1939)
FounderJohn Gregg
HeadquartersLongbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
Number of locations
1,953 (2018)[1]
Key people
Ian Durant
(Group Chairman)
Roger Whiteside
(Chief Executive)
ProductsSandwiches, pies and pastries; baked goods
Revenue£1,029.3 million (2018)[2]
£89.8 million (2018)[2]
£65.7 million (2018)[2]
Number of employees
22,000 (2018)[3]
Websitewww.greggs.co.uk
Greggs, Carmarthen, during snowfall (2009)
Greggs, Waterlooville (2008)
Historic shop front, Greggs, Brecon (2005)

Greggs plc (LSE: GRG) is the largest bakery chain in the United Kingdom. It specialises in savoury products such as bakes, sausage rolls and sandwiches and sweet items including doughnuts and vanilla slices. It is headquartered in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange, and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

The first Greggs was opened in 1951. Growing regionally from its base in Newcastle, in the North East, Greggs began to acquire other regional bakery chains across the rest of the country from the 1970s onwards. By the 1990s, it was the largest bakery chain in the country after acquiring its major rival, Bakers Oven, in May 1994. In 2017, the chain had 1,764 outlets, including 143 franchised outlets.[4][5]

The company opened 145 new shops in 2016 and closed 79 shops, as well as completing 208 store refits.[4]

History

Greggs was founded by John Gregg as a Tyneside bakery in 1939.[6] It opened its first shop in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1951.[7] When Gregg died in 1964, the bakery was taken over by his son, Ian, assisted by his brother, Colin. Major expansion began soon after, including the acquisitions of other bakeries such as Glasgow based Rutherglen in 1972, Leeds based Thurston's in 1974, Broomfields the Bakers, London, Bowketts the Bakers in Kent, Tooks the Bakers (East Anglia) and Price's (Manchester) in 1976.[8]

In May 1994, the company acquired the Bakers Oven chain of bakers' shops from Allied Bakeries.[8] In August 1999, Greggs rebranded its one hundred Braggs bakers shops as Greggs of the Midlands, and its Leeds based Thurston chain as Greggs of Yorkshire.[9]

In December 2008, Greggs announced that all of its 165 Bakers Oven branded shops would be re branded as Greggs shops so that all of the Bakers Oven shops could benefit from the Greggs national advertising campaign.[10] In 2011, the company opened its 1,500th shop in York.[11]

In January 2013, Greggs replaced its CEO Ken McMeikan with Punch Taverns CEO Roger Whiteside. McMeikan left the firm for Brake Bros.[12] In November 2009, the company announced plans for a further 600 stores.[13] They aimed to refit 215 stores (about 12% of their estate) by the end of the year, as well as introducing new products such as pizza.[14]

In 2013, Greggs began to transition out of the bakery market with the reasoning that it couldn't compete with supermarkets on that front. Instead, the company switched to focusing solely on the "food on the go" market after discovering that 80% of its business was with that market.[15]

Part of this was having many of its stores open earlier and close later, in order to target those going to and coming back from work,[16] expanding its breakfast menu to suit.[17] Part of this change meant discontinuing the sale of bread and scones in many of its stores.[18][19]

In August 2014, the company complained to Google when an "offensive" satirical parody of the Greggs logo was presented in search results as the actual company logo – falling afoul of imperfections in the "Google algorithm".[20] The firm's lighthearted social media response was noted as a "lesson in Twitter crisis management".[21][22]

Operations

The company has over 1,600 outlets, with many town and city centres having several stores.[4] In May 2015, the chain had 1,671 outlets, nine regional bakeries and employed 20,000 staff.[23] By March 2016, the number of outlets had grown to 1,698.[24] The company also sells some of its products – such as bakes, melts and pasties – through the supermarket chain Iceland.[25]

Greggs Moment

In September 2011, Greggs opened its first Greggs Moment, a 104 seater coffee shop, in its home town of Newcastle on Northumberland Street.[26] This store was then followed by one in the nearby MetroCentre in August 2012,[27] with five outlets in operation by February 2013.[28] In August 2013, the company announced that it would discontinue its attempt to enter the coffee market, and instead focus on selling coffee from its existing stores.[29]

Delivery service

In October 2016, Greggs announced that it would be launching a delivery service on a trial basis, with plans to implement it nationwide if the trial proved to be successful.[30] The initial trial was held in Cobalt Business Park in Newcastle, and the next trial phase encompassed the city’s other 29 Greggs stores.[31]

Greggs Drive Thru

In June 2017, Greggs opened their first drive thru, at Irlam Gateway Service Station in Salford.[32] Three further outlets have since opened in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Blackburn and Newcastle.[33]

Products

Sausage roll

The company’s best selling product is the sausage roll, selling more than two million units weekly.[34] Greggs sell sausage rolls freshly baked in store individually, or in a pre baked cold pack of four for customers to heat at home.[35] Greggs launched a vegan sausage roll in January 2019, made with vegan Quorn.[36]

Balanced Choice pasties

An example of Greggs point of sale display

In September 2016, in response to rising obesity levels in the United Kingdom, Greggs introduced a range of sourdough pasties which are under four hundred calories. The Balanced Choice Bakes are in Greggs' healthy Balanced Choice range.[37][38]

Greggs sandwiches
An example of the sandwich display at Greggs

Seasonal ranges

Greggs regularly introduces seasonal menus which include new product lines. In 2015, they began offering chicken curry soup and peri peri chicken flatbread as part of an autumn line.[39]

This line offers a variety of pasta dishes, sandwiches, salads and soups and includes both meat free products and products containing meat. The range also includes healthy snacks such as yoghurt pots and pots of fruit, and light drinks such as lemonade and fruit juices.[40]

In October 2016, Greggs launched a new autumn menu featuring a line of burritos which includes a pulled beef burrito, a pulled chicken burrito and a vegetarian burrito.[41] and their autumn/winter menu introduced a range of new burritos and gluten free sweets.[42] These updates were accompanied by a ‘revamp’ of the company’s snack range, with the introduction of packets of nuts and fruits and a change to own label crisps.[43]

Following the success of their previous health conscious offerings, Greggs introduced a range of gluten free products.[43] The first of these were launched with the autumn/winter menu in 2016 and included a range of cakes, brownies and crispy rolls.[44] Their Halloween product line includes fairy buns, cakes, biscuits, lattices and gingerbread kits.[39][45]

Their Christmas menu includes bakes, rolls, soups, toasties, baguettes, biscuits, muffins, buns and mince pies.[46]

Sandwiches

Greggs produce a variety of sandwiches which are all freshly prepared and available to purchase hot or cold.[47]

Breakfast menu

Greggs offer a variety of breakfast items which are served until 11 am.[48] Bacon rolls and porridge were introduced to their stores in 2010[49] alongside continental items including croissants and pain au chocolat.[50] In January 2016, the company announced plans to expand their coffee menu with the addition of flat whites and an 'improved mocha'.[51]

The company also offers a 'breakfast meal deal' where customers can purchase a breakfast roll and hot drink together for £2.10.[52]

Soup

Greggs' soups are part of the company's healthy eating menu.[53] The soups are seasonal, the different types served throughout the year including chicken curry soup, spiced beef and rice soup, and cream of tomato soup.[39][53] In Channel 4’s Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade, it was discovered that Greggs' cream of tomato soup contained much more sugar than was disclosed in its nutritional information.[54]

While a 300g portion was said to contain 5.7g of sugar, that amount of soup was found to contain 25.4g when tested: almost five times the amount declared on the package.[54] In response, Greggs said that they would "review the methodology used to determine nutritional data and would reformulate the recipe if required".[54]

Pasties/Bakes

Greggs offer a range of pasties and bakes which are available to purchase hot in store or cold in a multi pack to be re heated at home.[55]

Discontinued products

Macaroni pie

Greggs previously sold a macaroni pie, which was a water crust pastry case filled with macaroni pasta and a cream cheese sauce.[56] It was announced in June 2015 that the company would be discontinuing the pie from its Scottish menu as Greggs was looking to "refresh" the pastries they offered.[57]

The news of the removal of the pie angered many customers in Scotland, and campaigns soon began calling for Greggs to keep the pie.[56] A huge campaign started on social media with Scots pleading with Greggs to #savethepie.[58] A petition was started which gained nearly 2,000 supporters,[59] and the topic of the discontinuing of the pie was discussed in the Scottish parliament.[58]

Bread

In November 2015, Greggs decided to discontinue selling bread, with the company stating that the products were not selling as well as their sandwiches and other products.[60] The company also mentioned that bread was still being sold in a few stores and that they were now focusing on "food on the go" products as customer habits were changing.[60]

Marketing

In July 2002, actress and model Milla Jovovich, a fan of the store and its pasties,[61] said that she would be willing to become the "face of Greggs" in a new marketing campaign if the firm approached her. However, no such approach was made.[62]

Greggs Rewards

In February 2014, Greggs launched an electronic loyalty scheme app called "Greggs Rewards".[63]

Pasty tax

In March 2012, Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne proposed to simplify the taxing of takeaway food. In the United Kingdom, most food intended to be cooked and eaten at home is zero rated, meaning that businesses do not have to charge their customers the standard VAT on those products.[64] Much of Greggs food falls under this exception, with the food being left to cool on a shelf after preparation rather than being kept hot or reheated upon purchase by customers.[65]

With the pasty tax, any food besides freshly baked bread which is sold while above room temperature would be subject to the 20% VAT charge with no exception for intended serving temperature. Chairman of the company, Derek Netherton warned that such a tax would lead to "further unemployment, high street closures and reduced investment".[66] Greggs participated in a campaign to reverse this decision, which became known as the "pasty tax" or "Pasty Gate".[67]

Greggs: More Than Meats the Pie

An eight part documentary series, called Greggs: More Than Meats The Pie, which goes behind the scenes of the bakery and all its areas, was broadcast on Sky1 and Sky1 HD in April 2013.[68] Sky revealed the documentary programme's first episode was Sky1's number one original show in April, with a final total of 1.27 million viewers.[69]

References

  1. ^ "Greggs number of outlets 2006-2018". Statista. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b c "Preliminary Results 2018" (PDF). Greggs. Retrieved 18 March 2019.
  3. ^ "At a glance". Greggs. Retrieved 13 December 2018.
  4. ^ a b c "Fourth Quarter Trading Update" (PDF). Greggs. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  5. ^ "Greggs Corporate". corporate.greggs.co.uk. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Takeaway market holds key to Greggs' future". The Northern Echo. 18 November 2003. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  7. ^ "Earning a crust; How famous bakery rose from pushbike yeast deliveries Remember When a blast from the past". Entrepreneur. 19 March 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  8. ^ a b "history". Greggs. Archived from the original on 16 January 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Greggs". Ukbusinesspark.co.uk. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Chief Executive's Review and Trading Update". Greggs plc. 9 December 2008. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 10 March 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  11. ^ "Greggs plc interim management statement" (PDF). Greggs plc. 11 May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Thomas, Nathalie (24 January 2013). "Greggs poaches Punch Taverns chief". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  13. ^ "How did Greggs conquer the High Street?". BBC News. 10 November 2009. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  14. ^ Rankin, Jennifer (9 October 2013). "Greggs slows sales decline as it battles to win back customers". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  15. ^ "Greggs CEO Roger Whiteside talks turnarounds, M&S and VR pasties". Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  16. ^ "More people are going to work on a Greggs as strong growth at breakfast time boosts sales". The Telegraph. 4 October 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  17. ^ Farrell, Sean (9 May 2016). "Salads and flat-whites boost Greggs despite high street lull". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  18. ^ McCrum, Kirstie (19 May 2015). "Greggs the bakers are stopping selling bread and here's why". mirror. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  19. ^ "Greggs customers are furious that bakery chain stops selling scones". Mail Online. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  20. ^ Cresci, Elena (19 August 2014). "Why did an offensive Greggs logo show up in Google's web search?". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  21. ^ Bold, Ben (20 August 2014). "Greggs gives lesson in Twitter crisis management after fake logo debacle". Marketing Magazine. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  22. ^ Usborne, Simon (22 August 2014). "Was Greggs' response to its logo mishap a stroke of genius?". The Independent. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
  23. ^ "Greggs: The baker that is stopping selling loaves". BBC News. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  24. ^ Cumming, Ed (5 March 2016). "How Greggs conquered Britain: 'Nobody can quite believe how well it has done' | Business". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  25. ^ "Search Greggs". Iceland Groceries. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  26. ^ Dent, Karen (29 September 2011). "Greggs open first coffee shop in Newcastle". nechronicle.
  27. ^ "Greggs open coffee shop at Gateshead Metrocentre". nechronicle. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  28. ^ "Greggs Moment headed for Midlands". bakeryinfo.co.uk. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  29. ^ "Greggs shares hit after sales and profits fall". BBC News. 6 August 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Greggs unveils new delivery service". ITV News. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  31. ^ Ford, Coreena (18 October 2016). "Steak bake lovers rejoice! Greggs has launched a delivery service". mirror. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  32. ^ Boult, Adam (8 June 2017). "The world's first drive-through Greggs is now open". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  33. ^ Post reply (12 September 2018). "Third drive-thru Greggs in UK to open at Euro Garages site". Lancashire Telegraph. Retrieved 5 October 2018.
  34. ^ Armstrong, Ashley (2 August 2016). "Greggs: We might be going gluten-free but nothing will beat our sausage rolls". The Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  35. ^ Halliwell, James. "Greggs trials cold sausage roll four-pack". www.thegrocer.co.uk. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
  36. ^ Smithers, Rebecca (2 January 2019). "Greggs launches vegan sausage roll". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
  37. ^ "Balanced Choice". Greggs. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  38. ^ Smithers, Rebecca (10 September 2016). "Greggs joins trend for healthy eating with sourdough pasties". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  39. ^ a b c Farrell, Sean (6 October 2015). "New Greggs menu and smarter shops boost sales ahead of forecast". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  40. ^ Morgan, Georgia (26 April 2016). "Greggs reveals new 400 calorie or less healthy menu options including sandwiches, soups and salads". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  41. ^ Cooke, Alice (28 April 2016). "Greggs to roll out Balanced Choice range". British Baker. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  42. ^ "Greggs is now selling a range of burritos in Autumn menu". Metro. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  43. ^ a b Chesters, Laura (3 August 2016). "Now even Greggs goes gluten-free with range of cakes and sweet treats: Chain hoping to replicate the success of its healthier options including salads". Daily Mail. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  44. ^ "Greggs announce plans to launch gluten-free products". Free-From Heaven. 2 August 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  45. ^ Linge, Nadine (16 October 2010). "Greggs: How the nation's favourite baker will cope with the Halloween rush". Daily Star. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  46. ^ Scott, Ellen (8 November 2016). "Greggs' Christmas menu is here and it's as magical as always". Metro. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  47. ^ Akbar, Javaria (11 November 2014). "What I Learned About Sandwiches From Working at Greggs". VICE. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  48. ^ "Breakfast Deals". Greggs. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  49. ^ Wilson, Amy (7 October 2010). "Greggs puts porridge on the breakfast menu as bacon butties boost sales". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  50. ^ Dent, Karen (6 October 2010). "Greggs add croissants to their breakfast menu". Chronicle Live. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  51. ^ Sheffield, Hazel (12 January 2016). "Greggs plans to sell flat whites after take-out breakfast sales soar". The Independent. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  52. ^ Marlow, Ben (4 October 2016). "Greggs is on a roll and should try its pasties in Provence". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  53. ^ a b Rodger, James (27 April 2016). "Revealed: Greggs unveils new 400 calorie or less menu". coventrytelegraph. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  54. ^ a b c Hinde, Natasha (29 November 2016). "'Tricks Of The Restaurant Trade' Makes A Shocking Discovery About Greggs Tomato Soup". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  55. ^ Lindsay, Duncan (17 January 2016). "FINALLY. Greggs pasties ranked from worst to best - with controversial results". Metro. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  56. ^ a b Laing, Peter (24 June 2015). "Greggs told by angry Scots – Give us back our macaroni pies". Deadline News. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  57. ^ "Lukewarm pasta fans outraged after Greggs axe Macaroni Pies". STV Glasgow. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
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  59. ^ "What is it with macaroni pies?". BBC News. 25 June 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  60. ^ a b "Greggs: The baker that is stopping selling loaves". BBC News. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
  61. ^ "Milla munches Geordie fare". BBC News. 9 July 2002. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
  62. ^ "Slav to love". Daily Telegraph. 8 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2007.
  63. ^ "Greggs launches mobile payment app with built in loyalty - Eagle Eye". Eagle Eye. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  64. ^ "Businesses and charging VAT – GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  65. ^ "The return of the pasty tax: Greggs to put VAT on hot snacks after complaints about food being cooled down to avoid levy". Mail Online. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  66. ^ Neate, Rupert (16 May 2012). "Greggs warns pasty tax could hit sales and profits". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  67. ^ VAT Notice 701/14 Catering and take-away food. HM Revenue & Customs. October 2011.
  68. ^ Edwards, Samantha (19 April 2013). "Greggs TV series airs in April". British Baker. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  69. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (29 May 2013). "'Revolution', 'Arrow' revealed as Sky's most-watched shows in April". Digital Spy. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
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