Greggs profit surges to £56.2m in H1 2026

The company plans to open two new distribution centres.

Greggs reported a profit after tax of £56.2m for the 26 weeks ended 27 June 2026, a 20.86% increase from £46.5m in the same period last year.

Total sales grew 7.7% for the 13 weeks to 26 September 2026, and 7.4% for the 39 weeks to 26 September 2026.

Company-managed shop like-for-like (LFL) sales went up 3.4% for the 13 weeks to 26 September 2026, and 2.6% for the 39 weeks to 26 September 2026.

The group attributed the improved trading to the success of its menu innovation along with more settled weather.

Trading has improved in recent months, and the company now expects a modestly better full-year outcome for 2026 than previously anticipated. Cost inflation is running at around 2% on a like-for-like basis in 2026, though Greggs flagged greater pressure expected in 2027.

Two new distribution centres, in Derby and Kettering, will become fully operational in 2026 and 2027 respectively. The company said the added overheads will weigh on costs in 2027 before contributing to profitable growth after that.

Keishia Quijano, AI and Loyalty Lab Lead at Label Sessions, said the update showed Greggs bucking the wider high street trend once again despite challenging trading conditions, with cost control and menu innovation supporting upgraded guidance for 2026. She noted that growth is no longer coming only from new stores but from giving customers more ways to buy, whether through supermarket counters, forecourt self-service units or mobile ordering.

With no further price rises planned for the year, Quijano said the test shifts to winning more visits rather than larger bills. She pointed to the app as a key advantage, with nearly a third of transactions now running through it.

"The next chapter is about what Greggs does with that picture to outsmart the competition," Quijano said.