Brand of the Year Pret A Manger serves up record results
The winner of the 2016 prize at Marketing Week’s Masters of Marketing Awards credits innovation, service and insight for delivering £776m revenues
Pret A Manger hailed elements of its marketing mix for helping it post record results in 2016.
The sandwich marketer says sales from stores open for a year or more increased 4.8% last year. Total sales including income from the 50 new stores opened last year increased 15% to £776m.
Innovation in both product and formats was credited for driving the increase. Pret says its new soup ranges led to a 16% increase in soup sales and its two Little Veggie stores, the first of which was opened in June following customer feedback and a spike in demand for vegetarian options, had been particularly successful.
READ MORE: How Pret used customer insight to shape its new veggie pop-up strategy
Pret A Manger’s CEO Clive Schlee says the company will continue to focus on the menu innovation, service and food quality mix that make up its “freshly made food and fast proposition”. Pret leans on all elements of its marketing mix, eschewing big budget advertising campaigns in favour of investing in the in-store experience and social media to speak regularly with customers.
The chain reshuffled its marketing team in 2016, with group marketing boss Mark Palmer stepping into an advisory role and food director Caroline Cromar taking on day-to-day marketing responsibilities.
Pret A Manger scooped the Brand of the Year gong at The Masters of Marketing last year, beating the likes of Deliveroo, Facebook, Lidl and Snapchat to win the coveted prize.
Marketing Week’s Masters of Marketing is currently open for entries. You’ll have to hurry though, the deadline for entries is next week (1 May). For more information on categories and to enter any of the 36 categories, visit www.themastersofmarketingawards.com
