Pret A Manger revamps salad offering amid salad bar boom

Pret A Manger has launched a freshly made salad range in an effort to compete with specialist salad brands such as Atis and the Salad Project.

It comes after the British sandwich and coffee shop chain reported its salad sales have increased at three times the rate of its sandwich category year-on-year.

Named Super Plates, the new salad menu will offer dishes that are nearly 60% larger than Pret’s current salads, weighing in at roughly 450g.

Each plate will feature up to three of your five a day, as well as between 36 and 49g of protein for the Chipotle Chicken and Miso Salmon options, and up to 18g of fibre for the vegan Butternut Mezze.

Other ingredients include kale, Japanese-style togarashi seed topping, chargrilled chickpeas and Mexican-inspired black bean mole.

Briony Raven, chief customer and product officer at Pret A Manger, said: “With a rise in popularity amongst Brits for larger, more nutrient dense salads we carefully crafted our brand-new ‘Super Plates’ category. Our range of protein-packed options, made with premium ingredients, are perfect for when you’re quickly grabbing lunch on-the-go. This new category is a significant step-change in our lunchtime line-up, which we believe will continue the growth we’ve seen in our existing salads range.”

The Super Plates will be available at over 250 Pret shops in major cities including London, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester from 9 July. 

Takeaway prices for Super Plates menu start from £9.95.

Pret A Manger is also currently trialling a new ‘family-friendly’ version of its stores in Dundee and Maidenhead.

In June, owner JAB Holding revealed it is working with advisors on plans to bring in new investment to the business, including the potential of an potential initial public offering.

Pret A Manger’s first shop opened in London in 1986. The brand has since grown to more than 700 stores worldwide across 21 international markets ranging from Qatar to Hong Kong.