Greggs sales pick up amid boost from ‘viral' mac and cheese
The high street bakery chain said it has also benefited from 'better trading conditions' as growth accelerated following a slower start to the year.
Greggs said that new products are 'playing its part' in stronger sales, reporting that its new peach iced tea and mint lemonade drinks are 'performing well'.
It added that hot food items are also popular, with strong sales of its fried chicken goujons, pizza boxes and potato wedges.
Greggs opened 66 stores in recent months but also shut a raft of sites (Jonathan Brady/PA)
The retailer's recently launched Mac and Cheese has also sold well after going 'viral on TikTok' earlier this year, with Greggs rolling it out to all stores last month as a result.
The company, which runs 2,638 shops, said total sales rose by 7.4% to £784 million for the first 20 weeks of 2025.
Like-for-like sales grew by 2.9% over the period on the back of stronger trading over the past 11 weeks, while overall sales were also supported by new shops.
The chain opened 66 new stores over the period, although it significantly offset these by closing 46 stores – which included 21 relocations.
Boss Roisin Currie said it is part of the company's strategy to open larger stores, shutting some smaller high street stores down as a result.
She said the group's expanded range of products, click and collect and delivery service means some of its traditional shops are not fit for purpose.
Greggs said it is still confident that it can grow its estate by between 140 and 150 net stores this year.
The update came as Greggs continues to battle rising shoplifting across its shops, with the business confirming earlier this week that it has put sandwiches and drinks behind counters in some of its stores as a deterrent.
The bakery chain typically displays the items in self-service fridges but has ditched this in at least five stores due to a spate of thefts.
Ms Currie told the PA news agency that there is a 'significant' cost caused by thefts in some areas, driving the company to launch security initiatives, which also include body-worn cameras.
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