{"id":840523,"date":"2025-10-21T16:08:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:08:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=840523"},"modified":"2025-10-21T16:08:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-21T14:08:20","slug":"famous-international-fast-food-chain-has-big-plans-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/840523\/famous-international-fast-food-chain-has-big-plans-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous international fast food chain has big plans in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Millat Group has already launched two Pret A Manger outlets in Johannesburg, with plans to expand to Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret A Manger is a British company which launched its first outlet in 1986. From the outset, it promoted itself as serving freshly made food and good organic coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret A Manger, better known as Pret, offers a wide-ranging menu that includes sandwiches, salads, wraps, baked goods and snacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret also offers a wide array of organic coffees, teas and other hot and cold beverages, with vegetarian and vegan options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u2019s latest financial results show a 10% year-on-year increase in sales across its company-owned and franchise stores.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This growth has been fuelled by international expansion and new franchise partnerships, with 25% of revenue coming from outside the United Kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are more than 700 Pret shops worldwide, with 12,500 team members in 21 international markets, including South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other markets include Ireland, the United States, Hong Kong, France, the UAE, Kuwait, India, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Portugal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The global fast food chain also has stores in Belgium, Singapore, Germany, Canada, Italy, Greece, Spain, and Qatar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company\u2019s latest results showed that Pret\u2019s worldwide system sales across company-owned and franchise shops reached \u00a31.2bn for the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret A Manger CEO Pano Christou said 2024 was another year of growth despite intense strains on the hospitality industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGoing forward, our priority will be to drive transactions and sustainable growth by offering great value for money for Pret customers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur focus will be on growing Pret\u2019s market share in the UK and internationally, prioritising city centres and travel hubs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret A Manger rollout in South Africa<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In February 2024, the Millat Group signed an exclusive licensing agreement to operate Pret stores in Southern Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPret A Manger has the best in the class offering of organic grab-and-go and a food service offering that stands out,\u201d said Millat Group CEO Hamza Farooqui.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To ensure Pret offers products South Africans like, it worked with a local chef to curate a menu intended to connect with locals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This means the local outlets offer global classics, such as those found in Pret worldwide, along with products with a South African flavour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Millat Group launched the first Pret a Manger store in South Africa on 14 February 2025, in Melrose Arch in Johannesburg.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 31 May 2025, the second Pret A Manger store in South Africa was opened at the Rosebank Zone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A unique feature of this store is its local creative feel, courtesy of graphic design by Precious Mogoje, a University of Johannesburg student.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mogoje’s design was chosen as the lead design for the display alongside Pret\u2019s Emanating Star at the newest Pret A Manger store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Millat Group said the Rosebank Zone outlet followed the successful launch in Melrose Arch, which illustrated demand for its products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Melrose Arch store has consistently exceeded expectations, with strong foot traffic and repeat visits,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe store has quickly become a staple for commuters, professionals, and residents seeking fast, delicious meals made with care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamza Farooqui, CEO of Millat Group, said this enthusiastic response from local customers helped them launch the next phase of a broader national rollout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, Farooqui said they would open additional shops across tactical locations within South Africa\u2019s key cities, including Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Partnership with Discovery<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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In June 2025, the Millat Group announced a collaboration between Pret A Manger and Discovery Vitality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This partnership makes it easier and more rewarding for Discovery Vitality members to use their Discovery Miles to conveniently access fresh food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPret A Manger has joined the Vitality Mall, giving Discovery Vitality members even more ways to spend their Discovery Miles on new exciting rewards,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration represents the best of both worlds, making accessible, flavourful, and wholesome food choices more accessible,\u201d said Farooqui.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDiscovery Vitality is a trusted partner in promoting better living, and we\u2019re proud to be aligned with that mission.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough Pret, we\u2019re offering convenient, delicious, fresh food, and through Discovery Vitality, we\u2019re helping more members access it in a rewarding way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The collaboration extends Discovery Vitality’s Vitality Mall rewards options, while Pret A Manger brings a globally respected brand to the South African market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe tie-up reinforces the Millat Group\u2019s vision of aligning its hospitality and food portfolio with leading brands that support smart, modern living,\u201d Farooqui said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pret Melrose Arch stores photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pret Rosebank stores photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Pret Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Millat Group has already launched two Pret A Manger outlets in Johannesburg, with plans to expand to Pretoria, Cape Town, and Durban.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":840526,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[13345,21581,21580,21582,21272],"class_list":["post-840523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-discovery-vitality","tag-hamza-farooqui","tag-millat-group","tag-pano-christou","tag-pret-a-manger"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=840523"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":840547,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/840523\/revisions\/840547"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/840526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=840523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=840523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=840523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}