Coffee chain to close its outlet in city centre
SANDWICH and coffee chain Pret a Manger is to permanently shut one of its Cardiff city-centre stores as it closes 30 outlets after sales plummeted during the coronavirus lockdown.
The closure of the branch in Cardiff ’s Capitol Centre is part of a major restructuring plan which has put around 1,000 workers across the chain at risk of redundancy.
It is the only Welsh store affected. Eleven of the 30 stores shutting are in Greater London.
Pret said it has decided to close some stores permanently after recent sales dived by 74% compared with the same period last year. It has reopened 339 of its sites following the Covid-19 lockdown, but continues to be hampered by social distancing measures and lower numbers of office workers in major cities.
The announcement makes it the latest chain to announce closures and job losses following the coronavirus crisis, with Upper Crust owner SSP announcing plans to cut 5,000 jobs last week after demand plunged.
Sales and footfall have been hit hard by a heavy reduction in the number of people travelling into city centres for office work, with more people working from home due to the pandemic.
Pret will start consultations with staff as it pushes forward with plans to shut these 30 sites in the second half of the year.
Its restructuring plan will see it launch a sale process for the lease of Pret’s main support office near London Victoria station.
Discussions are also ongoing with landlords across its estate to develop a more “sustainable” model, after external advisers were hired.
Chief executive Pano Christou said: “It’s a sad day for the whole Pret family, and I’m devastated that we will be losing so many employees.
“These decisions are not a reflection on anyone’s work or commitment, but we must make these changes to succeed in the new retail environment.
“Our goal now is to bring Pret to more people, through different channels and in new ways, so that we can continue to provide great jobs and opportunities to our remaining employees.”