Pret a Manger saw sales at its City of London and Canary Wharf sandwich and coffee bars fall by nearly 30% in a single week after the UK government implemented restrictions to curb the spread of the Omicron variant of coronavirus.
Under the government’s Plan B, which came into force on 13 December, people are urged to work from home if they can and face coverings are mandatory in indoor public venues.
Data released today revealed till transaction volumes at Pret's cafes catering to City workers fell 29% between the week ending 9 December and the week ending 16 December, to just 52% of January 2020 levels.
This was the lowest level of trading in London City stores since the week ending 2 September, when many City workers were on holiday.
Pret told the Office for National Statistics that transactions at nearly all its UK urban stores fell in the week ending 16 December.
Sales in London suburbs have held up and stores were trading above January 2020 levels in the week.
Pret's chief executive Pano Christou told Bloomberg this week: “Day in and day out, we’re closing more and more stores and how far that will go, I don’t know... The biggest concern is government support for things such as the furlough scheme. Without that, Pret can’t hold thousands of people on payroll for that long.”
Pret has closed more than 70 stores since COVID-19 hit. It secured emergency bank funding in April 2020, before receiving an £185mln capital injection from its owner, Luxembourg-based group JAB.
The chain has made an effort to adapt to hybrid work by launching a delivery service, dinner menu, frozen croissants for retailers and a £20 monthly coffee subscription.