Pret A Manger is cutting more than a third of its workforce as part of a plan to save the business amid plummeting sales.
The 3,000 jobs will mainly go in its shops, but around 90 roles will also be lost at its support centre.
Demand for the chain’s sandwiches and drinks has been hit by the lack of commuters, tourists and office workers in towns and cities during the pandemic.
The group reopened 367 of its 410 shops in the UK last month but sales have been 60% lower than 2019. This has led to the expansion of a programme of cuts that was previously expected to affect 1,000 people, with 30 branches set to close.
Chief Executive Pano Christou said he was “gutted” to lose so many staffed, adding: “Although we’re now starting to see a steady but slow recovery, the pandemic has taken away almost a decade of growth at Pret.
“We’ve managed to protect many jobs by making changes to the way we run our shops and the hours we ask team members to work. I’m hopeful we’ll be able to review all these changes now that trade is improving again.”
