Total sales rose 7.5 per cent in the first 19 weeks of 2017, compared to 5.7 per cent in the same period last year. The baker’s like-for-like sales, meanwhile, were up 3.6 per cent, reports The Telegraph.
Greggs said its £2 breakfast offer was proving popular with customers, while its healthy Balanced Choice options continue to enjoy strong sales.
The food chain, which is best known for its sausage rolls, reported earlier this year that healthy options now make up more than 10pc of its sales, and it has added cold-pressed juice drinks and salads to its selection this year.
In a trading update ahead of Friday’s AGM, Greggs said it had opened 14 new shops this year, with 14 closures, giving it a total of 1,792 shops. It has also refitted 87 of its stores.
In 2013, Greggs unveiled a five-year plan to switch its focus away from being a traditional bakery as it looked to muscle into the £6bn ‘food to go’ market.
It said investment in new systems “continues apace”, adding that the consultation process with staff affected by the consolidation has been completed.
Greggs said cost inflation was having a “modest impact on margins” but this was expected to ease towards the end of year.
“Whilst this pattern will constrain profit growth in the first half of the year we expect to make progress in line with our previous expectations for the year as a whole,” it said.
