FOOD-to-go chain Pret A Manger has announced its plans to open on the island of Ireland for the first time.
The sandwich franchise has confirmed its will open 20 shops in both Northern Ireland and in the Republic over the next decade, in a move expected to create around 500 jobs.
The first shop will open in Dawson Street, Dublin city centre, this summer.
The food group’s Irish expansion will be launched in a franchise arrangement with Carebrook Partnership, a longstanding partner with the food chain.
Pret A Manager, which dates back to 1986 in London, takes its name from the French for ‘ready to eat’.
Now a major global operation, its majority owner is JAB. The investment fund of Germany's billionaire Reimann family acquired its stake in 2018 for £1.5 billion.
But the business took a massive blow in the first Covid-19 lockdown.
With its revenues falling by 58 per cent in 2020, the group announced plans to cut 3,000 jobs.
As of last year, the Pret had a staff of 8,000, including 6,400 in the UK, with around 550 shops worldwide.
The plan to break into the Irish market follows Pret’s announcement in September last year, where announced its goal of doubling the size of the business within five years, including launching into five new markets by the end of 2023.
The food-to-go chain also said it would hire 3,000 staff by the end of 2022.
Pret A Manger chief executive Pano Christou said the business had planned to launch shops on the island of Ireland "for a long time".
"We're thrilled that we're finally able to make it happen," he said in a statement.
"There has long been demand from our neighbours on the island of Ireland to bring Pret's freshly prepared food and organic coffee, and now with the backing of Carebrook Partnership Ltd we're able to do so.
"We look forward to making this partnership a success."
The majority owner of Carebrook, Gerard Loughran, is a native of Tipperary, with over 30 years’ experience in the UK and US food sector. Minority co-owner Ray McNamara from Dublin has 25 years’ experience in the Irish food industry, including ownership of Ann’s Bakery.
Mr Loughran said: "We've been working with Pret for over three decades, ever since they arrived in London.
"Having grown up in Tipperary, and with more than two decades of experience in the hospitality and food industry, I've always wanted to bring Pret to Ireland and Northern Ireland, so I'm delighted that this will soon become a reality."
