Pret A Manger names Clare Clough as UK managing director

Pret A Manger has named Clare Clough as its new UK managing director.

Clough had previously held the position of food and coffee director, leading the development of the chain's vegetarian and vegan menus as well as overseeing the introduction of its allergy plan, which has seen allergens removed from a range of products and full labelling introduced .

She said: "I'm honoured to take on this role and to lead Pret's outstanding teams across the UK. Pret's team members have been the heartbeat of Pret's success over the last decade, and with the acquisition of Eat, the expansion of Veggie Pret, and our plans to grow Pret online, we have a huge opportunity to take Pret to even more customers over the next few years.

"I'm looking forward to building on the success we've achieved so far, and to growing our unique combination of outstanding customer service and delicious, fresh food and coffee across the UK."

Pano Christou, who replaces Clive Schlee as chief executive this month, added: "Clare's innovation strategy has undoubtedly been behind Pret's success over the last decade. Thanks to her work and leadership, Pret's winning recipe of delicious, fresh food continues to appeal to millions of customers every year.

"Importantly, Clare has been instrumental in redesigning our food production processes as part of Pret's Allergy Plan. Her knowledge of Pret and deep understanding of our customers makes her the ideal person to take our UK business forward as we enter a new chapter in Pret's history."