British sandwich chain Pret a Manger is to open its first two Belgian restaurants in August. Locations of choice are two railway stations in Brussels: Central and South.
Eurostar
The British on-the-go chain will start close to home: at the Eurostar terminal with the trains to London, where it will occupy the spot formerly housing a Sam’s Club. The second restaurant will be underground at Brussels Central Station, newspaper L’Echo found out.
Pret a Manger currently accounts for 530 locations in nine countries: China, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. Last year, the chain was acquired by JAB Holding from Luxembourg, which specialises in coffee (Douwe Egberts) and food service. Pret a Manger, which wants to offer a qualitative alternative to fast food as a quick bite, had a 2017 turnover of a billion euros.
SSP, which specialises in catering at airports and stations, will be responsible for the expansion. The British group already operates forty outlets in Belgium, including Panos, The Coffee Club and Deliway. Although the news is not yet officially confirmed, a spokesperson already said that development opportunities in Brussels are indeed being looked into. SSP has 1900 restaurants worldwide.
