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Pret A Manger has been slammed for its ‘ridiculous’ price rises – as figures revealed it as hiked the cost of its lunch offerings by as much as 72 per cent.
A humble egg and mayonnaise sandwich on Pret’s delivery menu would now set you back £3.25 – compared to £1.89 in August 2020.
Over the same time period the price of a can of Coke Zero has increased by 54 per cent to £1.70.
Other items to see dramatic rises include a tuna and cucumber baguette, up 42 per cent from £2.99 to £4.25; and a ham and grevé baguette – up 38 per cent to £4.75.
The figures were compiled by Lumina Intelligence’s Menu Tracker using present and historic delivery menus and reported by The Times.
Analysts believe Pret is opting to boost profit margins over volume. Its accounts, published in July, showed that gross profits had jumped by 83 per cent to £279million last year.
Pret said delivery options were a ‘very small part’ of their sales and attracted a ‘higher premium due to associated fees with our delivery platforms’.
This graphic shows the rise in prices on Pret’s delivery menu compared to 2020. The £7.15 for a ‘posh cheddar and pickle baguette’ is the amount it costs at ‘travel hubs’
It came as furious Pret fans slammed the chain for charging £7.15 for a cheese and pickle baguette – with the price almost doubling if diners opt to add crisps and a smoothie.
Customers reacted with dismay on social media as the eye-watering ‘dine in’ price for the chain’s ‘posh’ cheese and pickle sandwich was snapped at a London tube station branch.
The baguette costs £5.95 at transport hub stations to take away – and, when coupled with a £1.75 bag of crisps and a £5 green smoothie for a fully rounded lunch, costs £12.70.
To eat it in store, the chain then levies a £1.20 VAT charge on the sandwich – taking its price up to £7.15, and the total deal to £13.90.
The price of the subscription falls by more than 20 per cent to £5.72, including VAT, for those signed up to the £30-a-month Club Pret membership who want to eat in.
A Pret spokesman said: ‘We continue to offer great value for high-quality, freshly made food and organic coffees, alongside a dedicated value range of sandwiches, Made Simple, which are priced from £2.99.
‘We also recently doubled the Club Pret discount to help customers save even more, so subscribers now enjoy 20% off everything in shop as well as up to 5 barista prepared drinks per day for just £30 per month.’
‘Prices of our products are typically higher at train stations or transport hubs, due to higher operational costs, and like all food-to-go retailers, dine in prices are subject to 20% VAT.
‘Delivery, which represents a very small part of Pret’s sales, also has a higher premium across our menu, due to associated fees with our delivery platforms.’
Sophie Gallagher was ‘fully tipped over the edge’ by the price tag at Pret’s high street Kensington branch, which is next to a tube station
Is the ‘posh’ cheese and pickle baguette Britain’s worst value sandwich? Pret argued the operational costs hiked the price
Sophie Gallagher was ‘fully tipped over the edge’ by the price tag.
Her tweet went viral on X, formerly Twitter, with more than 1.4million views and 320 comments at the time of writing.
She wrote: ‘What the f*** is happening here.’ Before adding: ‘I want it to own a country estate for that money.’
Many quipped about its ‘posh’ name tag, while others simply said she should have gone to Greggs instead.
Marie McEntree said: ‘I deliberately didn’t buy this baguette yesterday when I seen the price… nearly fell over with shock! Opted for the cheaper sandwich but still felt mugged off.’
While Philip Livchitz walked out of one London chain last week because of the prices and backed his own sandwich-making skills.
He said: ‘I remember walking into a Pret near Piccadilly last week and instantly walking out. People must be mad for paying those prices for something that can easily be made at home far superior for less.’
Jess used to ‘absolutely love Pret’ but has now been put off by the extortionate ‘wild’ prices.
Another X user, under the handle @craig_arm, posted a picture of a bottle of Coca-Cola and a Pret baguette which set him back an ‘outrageous’ price of £9.60.
People reacted in dismay on X, formerly Twitter, about the price of the baguette, calling the chain ‘bonkers expensive’, while another said the cost is ‘outrageous’
The baguette is reported to have been at the High Street Kensington branch, where prices are higher due to operational costs. The ‘posh’ sandwich costs £4.99 to takeaway in non-transport hub shops.
A Pret spokesman previously said: ‘Prices of our products are typically higher at train stations or transport hubs, due to higher operational costs, and like all food-to-go retailers, dine in prices are subject to 20 per cent VAT, as is the case with the price quoted here for our Posh Cheddar Baguette.
‘The vast majority (87 per cent) of our sales in the UK are for takeaway, so most customers are not subject to the additional 20 per cent VAT.
‘Like all businesses, we are facing intense cost pressures, which we are trying to absorb as much as possible. We continue to offer great value for high-quality, freshly made food and organic coffees, alongside a dedicated value range of sandwiches, Made Simple.
‘We also recently doubled the Club Pret discount to help customers save even more, so subscribers now enjoy 20 per cent off everything in shop and up to five barista prepared drinks per day for £30 per month.’
The chain hiked the cost of its popular coffee subscription by £5 earlier this year, as the price of a latte soared from £2.95 to £3.30.
The move came against the backdrop of big increases in the cost of ingredients, including milk, coffee and cheese, and the need to boost staff wages three times in a year.
Pret customers shared their anger about the news online, with many saying they are going to cancel their subscriptions as a result.
