Vegan-friendly sausage roll propels Greggs' profit jump
It plans to open 100 new sites this year.
The continued popularity of Greggs’ vegan sausage roll has propelled the bakery chain to have what its chief executive labels as an “exceptional” first-half performance.
In a trading update, the bakery chain reported a sales increase of 14.7% to £546m in H1 2019, whilst reported pre-tax profit hit £36.7m - 52% higher than the same period last year.
Greggs also reported underlying pretax profit of £40.6m in the six months to 29 June, up from 25.7 million pounds in the same period last year.
"The launch of the now famous vegan-friendly sausage roll took this to another level, with initial demand significantly outstripping our expectations," Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside said. "The product has remained extremely popular with customers and is now one of our top sellers, demonstrating the demand for greater dietary choice in food-on-the-go."
Greggs, which trades from nearly 2,000 outlets in the UK, was looking into adding more vegan products, along with new hot sandwiches and other food-to-go options.
The chain also confirmed its plans to open 100 new locations this year alone.
