High street bakery chain Greggs has said it plans to increase the number of healthy options it offers, including a gluten-free range.
In its recent update, Greggs said improvements its menu were proving popular, in particular its hot sandwich range and extended breakfast menu, while the introduction of a flat white coffee was helping to continue its delivery of double-digit growth in sales of hot drinks.
In response, it has extended its fresh fruit offer and said it had been encouraged by trials of its upgraded range of salads.
Roger Whiteside, chief executive of Greggs said: “We will always be a bakery, and sausage rolls will always be part of that, but we’re trying to leverage that with demand for healthier options.
“We’re looking at a number of things, including a gluten-free range and more vegetarian ideas. We’re also looking seriously at Mexican food, and it’s not impossible that we’ll see sushi on the menu one day.
We accept that the trend is moving away from over-indulging in things like doughnuts and sausage rolls, but the key is to offer a variety of food that everyone can afford.”
The company’s healthy food range now accounts for 10% of sales. It is looking to open up to 70 new stores this year, creating over 1,000 new jobs in the process.
Last month, the group reported like-for-like sales at its company-managed stores up 3.7% for the first 18 weeks of the year.
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