Greggs targets 150 store openings in 2025 after record year
Greggs has said it is targeting up to 150 net store openings in 2025, after a year which saw the bakery chain open a record amount of shops.
The chain said there was a “strong pipeline of opportunities” to support its expansion plans this year, and is aiming for between 140 and 150 net openings, including 50 relocations.
This comes after Greggs opened a record 226 new stores in 2024, with 28 closures and 53 relocations resulting in 145 net new shop openings. At year end, the chain traded from 2,618 stores, comprising 2,057 company-managed and 561 franchised.
The announcement comes as Greggs releases a trading update for the final quarter of 2024, during which its sales were up by 7.7% compared to the same period the year prior.
During the year as a whole, the company recorded total sales of £2.01bn, up from £1.81bn in 2023.
Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, said: “2024 was another year of good progress by Greggs, with a record number of new shops opened and the £2 billion sales milestone surpassed. I’m proud of our teams who, day in and day out, do such a fantastic job for our customers.
“We enter 2025 with a strong pipeline of new shop opportunities, and we continue to broaden our menu and enhance our digital capabilities, whilst also developing our supply chain capacity to deliver our growth strategy. Whilst lower consumer confidence continues to impact high street footfall and expenditure, our value-for-money offer and the quality of our freshly-prepared food and drink position us well to meet the headwinds we expect to see in the year ahead, and we remain confident in the significant long-term opportunity for growth.”