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Pret A Manger to permanently close 17 restaurants in Boston and Chicago as it restructures in response to coronavirusPret A Manger to permanently close 17 restaurants in Boston and Chicago as it restructures in response to coronavirus

U.S. sales were down 87%; officials say 30 U.K. units will also permanently close

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

July 30, 2020

1 Min Read
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Pret A Manger, which is owned by JAB Holding Co., has announced it will close all of its units in Boston and all Chicago units except at the University of Chicago as it restructures its business in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 17 U.S. units will close in total.

“We cannot defy gravity and continue with the business model we had before the pandemic,” said CEO Pano Christou in a statement. “That is why we have adapted our business and found new ways to reach our customers.”

Pret, which is based in London, said that sales across the U.S. were down 87% year over year. At the onset of the pandemic, the chain closed all 86 U.S. locations, some of which began reopening in late April. There are currently 51 U.S. units open in New York City, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.

Along with the Boston and Chicago locations, 30 Pret stores in the U.K. will be permanently closed.

“Our goal now is to bring Pret to more people, through different channels and in new ways, enabling us to grow once more in the medium term,” Christou said.

The chain has been doing delivery with Grubhub/Seamless and plans to launch order ahead.

Pret A Manger was acquired by JAB in 2018, at which time then-CEO Clive Schlee said 2017 had been the ninth consecutive year of sales growth for the brand. Schlee retired in September 2019 after 16 years as chief executive.

Pret was No. 152 in Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2020 Top 200 report, which ranks restaurant chains based on U.S. systemwide sales.

Contact Leigh Anne Zinsmeister at [email protected]

About the Author

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Managing Editor

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director.  Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.

Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. 

Email Leigh Anne at [email protected] 

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: 

  • Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)

  • Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)

  • Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)

  • Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)

  • Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)

  • Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)

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