From sausage rolls to california rolls: Pasty purveyor Greggs is about to get healthier, its chief executive says
There's no easy way to say this. Greggs, everyone's favourite purveyor of pasties and sausage rolls, has announced plans to go healthy (or healthier).
The bakery chain, which in recent years has introduced "healthy" options such as sandwiches (and began selling flat whites in January), said healthy food now makes up 10 per cent of sales.
Roger Whiteside, Greggs' chief executive, told This is Money healthy eating options have pushed up profits by 25 per cent, to £73m.
"We will always be a bakery and sausage rolls will always be a part of that, but we're trying to leverage that with demand for healthier options.
"We're looking at al number of things, including a gluten-free range and more vegetarian ideas."
He even said the company was exploring new cuisine, such as Mexican food.
"It's not impossible that we'll see sushi on the menu one day," he added. Salmon sashimi, anyone?
The company has had mixed experiences in recent months: in May it posted figures showing while sales had risen 5.7 per cent in the 18 weeks to 7 May, that was down from 5.9 per cent growth in the same period the year before.
Meanwhile, shareholder advisory group Pirc advised investors to vote against Whiteside's £2.6m pay packet at its AGM last month, saying the 79:1 chief executive pay ratio was "not appropriate". In the end, though, his pay was approved by 98 per cent of shareholders – suggesting they're prepared to (sausage) roll with the punches…