Greggs hints on introducing vegan chicken: report
The bakery giant is also close to naming its official delivery partner.
After introducing vegan versions of its sausage roll, doughnut and steak pastries, Greggs’ top boss hinted at possibly introducing a plant-based chicken bake, a meatless version of its Mexican chicken or roast chicken.
“[Vegan] chicken is a way forward. I have seen some good products out there,” Greggs chief executive Roger Whiteside told The Sun.
Whiteside also mentioned that vegan products often face challenges “technically and operationally”, with raw materials not being available in the industrial quantities needed.
He also believes that most people who buy Greggs’ vegan products are flexitarians.
Nationwide delivery service coming soon
The bakery chain is also close to choosing its official delivery partner after trialling various platforms like Just Eat, Deliveroo and UberEats since 2017.
Greggs is also eyeing to extend its operating hours to capture the evening market from 6 to 9 p.m.
“In particular we expect to scale up successful elements of our trials in the extension of trading hours and by making delivery more widely available,” Whiteside said in the company’s latest trading update sent to the London Stock Exchange.
The bakery chain’s total sales were up 13.5% in the 52 weeks ended 28 December 2019, compared to 7.2% in the previous period.
Following its sales hike, the bakery chain will be giving 19,000 staff who have been with the company since 31 March a £300 windfall by end January, whilst 6,000 more employees will get £75 for each quarter they have worked for the company.
As of December 2019, Greggs is operating approximately 2,050 shops.
