Greggs opens 49 new shops with sales of chicken goujons soaring

Greggs has warned that inflationary pressures will make its sausage rolls more expensive and curtail profits this year, even as the bakery chain toasted record results.

Greggs has said it has a “good” start to 2022 after launching 49 new shops in the first 19 weeks of the year.

The sausage roll seller said its sales had increased 27.4 per cent compared to the same time last, from £378m in the first 19 weeks of 2021 to £495m this year.

The Newcastle headquartered firm said sales had begun to recover from the impacts of the pandemic, as it said its chicken goujons and potato wedges have proven particularly popular.

Greggs said sales in larger cities and office location continued to lag but said sales at its “transport locations” had surged in recent weeks.

The bakery said it had closed six shops and opened 49 new ones – including new stores in Birmingham and Liverpool airports – bringing its total number of stores up to 2,224 as of 14 May.

Looking ahead, the firm said it expects inflation will bit, as the high-street bakery said it is aiming to mitigate the impact of cost pressures while protecting its own reputation for quality.