Greggs is on a sausage roll
... a vegan sausage roll, that is, having seen bumper sales so far this year thanks to its new “bespoke Quorn” pastry
Greggs yesterday hailed “exceptional sales” of its vegan sausage roll for boosting trade at the beginning of 2019.
The bakery chain launched the product in early January and said that customer transactions increased in the first seven weeks of the year. It said the bulk of sales came from “savoury products such as the veganfriendly sausage roll”.
The company said it had recorded an “exceptional sales performance boosted by publicity” linked to its newest vegan product.
The meat-free snack, developed with a vegetable oil-based pastry and a “bespoke Quorn filling”, was initially made available in 950 stores. Greggs announced last week that it would now be rolled out to all of
its 1,950 branches.
The product provoked a huge reaction online, with many social media users welcoming the news – although there were a few notable exceptions, including Piers Morgan.
The Good Morning Britain host claimed the vegan snack made him feel sick and mocked it on Twitter, commenting: “Nobody was waiting for a vegan bloody sausage, you PC-ravaged clowns.”
Shares in Greggs rose 7 per cent after it published its trading update yesterday.
“The new vegan sausage roll has helped bring home the bacon for Greggs, prompting a spike in sales at the start of this year,” said Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Laith Khalaf. “The company has therefore upgraded its profit expectations for the coming year, and that’s sent the share price up sharply.
“It’s unclear how much of the boom can be attributed to sales of actual vegan rolls rather than simply the publicity associated with the launch. However, catering for vegan diets is now rising up the priority list for many food retailers, with M&S recently launching its new vegan range, Plant Kitchen.
“This isn’t just a flash in the pan for Greggs either, it builds on strong performance last year, and demonstrates it’s still possible for bricks and mortar retailers to earn a crust on the UK high street.”