Greggs has unveiled plans to trial a new shop format, dubbed “bitesize Greggs”.
The bakery chain – which was recently named the UK’s strongest brand – said the new format is aimed at driving greater visit frequency and supporting estate expansion by opening up locations that do not have space for a full-service shop.
“These shops will have a narrower range but will offer all of our iconic products; we will be testing the concept in locations such as railway stations and retail parks where there is unmet demand for the Greggs offering,” said the company, adding that the trial would commence in the second half of 2025.
Greggs has also revealed a new relationship with Tesco that will see a selection of five products from its frozen Bake at Home range launched in over 800 stores and online from September. The full range has been sold at Iceland Foods outlets since 2012, with Greggs noting that the discount retailer remains an important partner.
The latest developments were noted as part of interim results for the 26 weeks ended 28 June 2025. This follows a trading update for the same first-half period published on 2 July, when it was anticipating full year operating profit to be “modestly below” that of 2024. The Greggs board stated its expectations were still consistent with this guidance.
Greggs highlighted menu development as key to meeting consumers’ changing tastes and requirements, with a focus on health and value. The NPD pipeline supports the strategic progress of its offer across all dayparts, it said, but particularly later in the day – post-4pm sales continued to grow more strongly than the average during the half, now comprising 9.3% of revenue compared to 8.4% in H1 2024.
In May it rolled out new menu additions including a Korean chicken sandwich range and Red Pepper, Feta & Spinach Bake. Earlier this month, it looked to turn up the heat with a fiery new chipotle chicken sandwich range said to be bursting with smoky flavours.
The Hot & Spicy Chipotle Chicken Baguette (from £3.60) is packed with spicy chicken breast, Cheddar cheese with chilli, sliced red onion, fiery jalapeños, and a dollop of chipotle chilli sauce and spicy mayo. The Chipotle Chicken Flatbread (from £3.50) contains spicy chicken, chipotle chilli sauce, fresh salad leaves, mixed peppers and spicy mayonnaise in a soft folded flatbread.
There’s also a Sweet & Spicy Chicken Oval Bite (from £3.50) made with slices of spicy chicken breast, pineapple chilli sauce, sliced mild Cheddar chilli cheese, crispy onions, spicy mayo, and mixed leaves in a seeded roll.
Alongside investment in Midlands facilities to further its supply chain capacity, Greggs reported on ongoing investment in technology to ensure robustness of processes and improvements in efficiency. As well as being on track to migrate to the next version of SAP from next month, it said it had purchased new systems that embrace AI functionality to drive service standards and automate tasks at shops. Customer-facing technology, such as self-service ordering kiosks, is currently being trialled in six shops, added the company.
A change to the board was also announced, with Robert Moorhead becoming an independent non-executive director, effective from 1 October. Having previously served as chief financial officer and chief operating officer of WH Smith plc, Moorhead is to replace Kate Ferry as chair of the Audit Committee and will also join the join the Nominations and Remuneration Committees.
“Kate has played a key role on the Board of Greggs and I would like to take this moment to thank her for her exceptional contribution over the last six years,” commented Greggs chair Matt Davies. “Whilst we are very sorry to see her go, we are delighted that Robert has accepted our invitation to join the Board. His financial expertise in a listed company environment, together with his significant experience in retail will be of great benefit to our business.”
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