Pret A Manger has appointed Ross Warnes as its new UK & Ireland president, effective from January 2026.
He joins the high street chain from Kraft Heinz, where he held several senior roles including area vice president – overseeing the food & drink manufacturer’s biggest business unit in the US – VP of sales for Northern Europe and UK & Ireland sales director.
Pret noted that Warnes brings a wealth of experience driving growth for food and beverage brands, with prior experience at Unilever and Nestlé’s UK businesses. He is to lead Pret’s largest market through its next phase of growth following the departure of managing director for Europe Clare Clough, who stepped down in September after 15 years of various leadership roles at the brand.
In his new job, Warnes will oversee Pret’s UK & Ireland estate of over 500 shops, spearheading efforts to grow market share, increase transactions, and deliver even greater value to customers.
The appointment comes as Pret opens new travel hub sites whilst beginning the removal of all Express self-service coffee machines from the UK market. In September, it began trialling a range of new meal deals across breakfast and lunchtime dayparts. This follows the June launch of a more spacious shop format featuring a new menu that includes made-to-order bakery items such as hot ciabattas, sourdough toasties, and stuffed croissants.
Welcoming Warnes to the company, Pret CEO Pano Christou commented: “Ross has great experience in growing food brands and leading high-performing teams. His leadership will be instrumental as we focus on growing our UK market share, driving transactions and delivering more value to our customers.”
Warnes said that he’d grown up with Pret and had “always cherished its freshly made food, organic coffee and friendly service”.
“It’s been amazing to see it evolve over the years and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to be part of its exciting future,” he added. “I’m looking forward to joining the team and taking the Pret brand to new places across the UK and Ireland.”
In October, Pret unveiled Matthew Bresnahan as its new chief marketing officer, tasked with helping drive forward the company’s growth plans and bringing the brand to more people. The company also named José Cil as its new chairman earlier this year, succeeding Konrad Meyer who remains on the board as a director.
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