Pret a Manger
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Pret a Manger (informally "Pret") is a UK sandwich retailer. The company was founded in London in 1986 by friends Sinclair Beecham and Julian Metcalfe who met while studying property law at the Polytechnic of Central London, now the University of Westminster. The company's marketing emphasizes a passion for food, with all items made from natural ingredients with a minimum of preservatives. All sandwiches are made on the day of purchase in a kitchen at each location. Those left unsold at the end of the day are collected by charities who provide food to the homeless. Sandwiches are packaged in cardboard rather than sealed plastic, to emphasize that they are fresh and cannot be kept overnight.
The name is from the French phrase prêt à manger, meaning "ready to eat".
In 2001, McDonald's bought a 33% non-controlling stake in the company. Pret then expanded to New York (10 stores) and Hong Kong (7 stores). Unlike other fast food outlets, Pret a Manger is not a franchise. 85% of their trade is in London. It is still a private partnership, so its accounts are not yet open to the public.
The menu includes sandwiches, filled baguettes, soup, salad, and coffee. It also prepares desserts, muffins, cakes, croissants.
Messages in the store, on the packaging and on the website remind you of their company ideology, messages often numbered "Pret passion fact no. 74" for example. The packaging and website also include recipes for some of their products, supposedly so the customer can make himself or herself a sandwich when all Pret a Manger locations in a community are closed or if the customer lives and/or works too far away from any Pret a Manger stores. A sticker on a pack of sandwiches says:
- No factory ★ No Shelf-life ★ Made in-store ★ No 'display until' ★ No obscure chemicals
- Because only pret can share our recipes and create preservative free goodies using natural ingredients delivered before dawn to every Pret shop. Passionate chefs, hours of preparation and loads of proper fresh food.
Staff
In 1998 the company employed 1,400 people, of whom 19% are from Britain and 60% are from other European Union countries. Pret a Manger only picks 1 in every 14 applicants. Applicants go on a one day experience day at a store and their success is determined by the other staff members who vote the applicant in or not. There is a big focus on development internally and many managers and senior executives have come from within the company.Criticism
The sandwiches are made early in the morning and stored in a refrigerator. Some consumers prefer the type of made-to-order sandwiches available from shops like Subway, and from many independent retailers.In the past, no nutritional information was provided, but this policy has been changed and information for each of their products is available from their website.
Prices are seen by some as being high when compared with other sandwich retailers, earning the company the nickname "Pret A Mortgage" (or sometimes "Get A Mortgage") among detractors.
In January 2001 McDonald's bought a 33% stake in Pret a Manger. McDonald's is often criticised for its high-fat fast food, exploitation of workers and for causing ecological damage.
Sources
- The Economist: Employment: A new mix - In London, almost one in every nine workers is a foreign citizen. September 24, 1998
External links
- [Company website]
- Guardian article: [Mine's a McLatte]
- [SandwichGuide.co.uk Reviews Pret Sandwiches]
- Fast Company articles:[Recipe for Reinvention],[Galley Slave]
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