Greggs Sales Rise as Iced Drinks and Salads Help Bakery Chain
Greggs has revealed that a surge in demand for iced drinks, salads and lighter summer food helped the bakery chain boost sales during the recent heatwave. The company reported total revenues of more than £1.1 billion for the 26 weeks to June 27 — a 7.2% increase compared with the same period last year. Pre-tax profits also climbed by almost a fifth to £76 million.
Greggs said the growth was partly driven by the launch of its new “bake at home” frozen range in Tesco, alongside its ongoing partnership with Iceland Foods.
The Newcastle-based business, which began more than 80 years ago selling eggs and yeast to families across the North East from a bicycle, said it had also benefited from strong demand for newer products. These included iced matcha lattes, a chicken roll designed as an alternative to its popular sausage and vegan rolls, and an expanded range of salads.
Greggs chief executive Roisin Currie said the business had become better prepared for periods of extreme heat after learning lessons from previous summers.
“When temperatures get above 30 degrees, people start to eat less,” she said. “We’ve been much more resilient this year because we learned some lessons.”
Currie said Greggs’ focus had been on “keeping it exciting for customers” by introducing new products, including a blueberry matcha iced latte that has proved particularly popular with younger customers.
She added that the timing of the company’s new salad range launch had worked in its favour, with customers responding well to options such as prawn layered pasta salad, chicken Caesar salad, and grains and green salad.
During the warmer weather, shoppers also turned to fruit pots, yoghurts, wraps and picnic favourites such as packs of sausage rolls.
Greggs had 2,773 shops at the end of June and expects to open up to 110 more stores on a net basis during 2026.
The company, which recently expanded its presence with a store at Tenerife South Airport, is also testing a new Greggs Express format. The smaller self-service units, offering a limited selection of food and drinks, are being trialled at petrol stations, with 10 locations expected to open by the end of the year.
Despite strong trading, Greggs said it faced ongoing cost pressures, with overall inflation during the first half of the year reaching 2.2%.
Currie warned that uncertainty in the Middle East and its potential impact on energy prices could affect costs later this year and into 2027.
“One of the key costs we’ve got is wages, so that does hit us because that is an inflationary environment,” she said. However, she added that some commodity costs, including coffee and cocoa prices which had risen sharply last year, had started to ease.