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Pret A Manger is closing the last of its Veggie Pret stores because people are buying vegan options at all its branches, the company has said.
The meat-free outlets were first opened eight years ago as demand for plant-based food surged. Now, with veganism firmly in the mainstream, the stores are no longer needed, according to the company.
“Every Pret is a Veggie Pret shop,” said Katherine Bagshawe, UK food and coffee director at Pret A Manger, the BBC reports.
The end of Veggie Pret
The last three Veggie Pret stores will start serving meat, alongside vegan food, by the end of the month.
The company had already been scaling back on the specialist outlets. At its peak, Pret had 10 meat-free stores, mostly in London, with others in Oxford and Manchester.
The closures are not a result of falling demand for vegan food. Quite the opposite, according to Bagshawe, who said that one in three main meals sold was now vegan or vegetarian.
Meat-free eating live and well
Food launches from major meaty brands from Pukka to Pizza Hut highlight the way vegan food is now completely mainstream in 2024.
Fast-food giant Burger King has pledged to be 30 percent meat free in the UK by 2030. Meanwhile, a collaboration between Costa Coffee and BOSH! has brought plant-based food to new audiences. With a recent study finding that the number of vegans in the UK soared to 2.5 million last year, there is little doubt that the movement is growing stronger and more accessible.
