Last week I began to talk about the increased focus on omnichannel. And, then along comes Pret with announcements that underline that observation. It intends to revert its recent pullbacks from its international presence by entering five more countries while also opening 200 more stores in the UK. It will do this with a beefed-up franchising programme. This is on top of several initiatives launched in the past year that will shortly (if everything goes to plan) account for 30% of sales – selling Pret coffee beans on Amazon, selling Pret-branded products as grocery items in supermarkets, developing its menu of delivery items and building up its subscription offer.
It’s likely that this has been on the long-term ‘to do’ list for some time, but has Covid loosened the shackles and enabled it to happen more quickly?
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