Pret A Manger to increase staff pay with £9.2m investment
The changes recognise the resilience, hard work and dedication of Pret’s shop teams through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pret A Manger has announced plans to invest over £9.2m in staff pay, its “biggest” pay and benefits increase in its 36-year history.
From 1 April 2022, 8,000 UK team members will see their pay increase from a baseline of £9.40-9.56, to up to £10.15 per hour, with more than 6,900 colleagues receiving at least £10 per hour.
Pret also said its mystery shopper bonus will also increase by 25% to £1.25 per hour, taking it above £1 for the first time ever. The bonus is awarded to teams on top of their weekly pay for good service. Currently, over 80% of staff receive the bonus on average each week.
It added the changes to “recognise the resilience, hard work and dedication” of Pret’s shop teams through the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the group, it is in a position to make these changes as a result of the impact of its transformation strategy in 2020 and the stronger position the business is now in.
The brand revealed digital sales have grown since the relaunch of Pret’s online delivery programme 18 months ago, with plans to double the size of the business and open more than 200 new stores in the UK within the next five years.
Pano Christou, CEO of Pret, said: “After a difficult couple of years, it gives me so much joy to be able to give our hard-working shop teams this news. Crucially, when you combine our hourly pay, our 50% staff discount, and the Pret mystery shopper bonus, we’re proud to be one of the best employers in our industry.
“We’ve got big ambitions for Pret’s future, and none of it would be possible without the hard work and commitment of our people. We hope that this announcement goes some way to thanking them for everything they’ve done over the course of the pandemic – no one deserves it more.”
