Pret hires 250 Ukrainian refugees

Pret A Manger has hired 250 Ukrainian refugees as part of its employment programme, which first launched in April 2022 following the Russian invasion.

They have taken on roles such as chefs, baristas and front-of-house team members at over 100 Pret stores across the UK, with some already having received promotions to team leaders over the past year, and two due to embark on the assistant manager course.

The majority of employees on the programme are women who have partners and families fighting in their home country.

Employees are also offered help with travel costs for their commute, vouchers for household items, and one-to-one counselling. English language tuition and accommodation support is also available.

Viktoria Bertics, a Ukrainian general manager, who has worked at Pret for 17 years, leads the scheme. She said: “I’m extremely proud of every single person on the programme and the feedback from shop managers has been fantastic – a testament to the Ukrainians’ hard work and dedication in the most difficult circumstances imaginable.

Alina Yefimenko, who was previously a yoga instructor and business owner in Kyiv before the Russian invasion, now works front-of-house at Pret’s Chancery Lane shop. She said: “At first I found it stressful coming into work and it was hard to deal with the emotional side knowing so many Ukrainians are suffering back home. But Viktoria, my manager and my team have been very supportive, showing me kindness and treating me with respect. They help me to be strong and I find it like ‘job therapy’.”

Pret’s Ukraine employment programme offers job opportunities at the sandwich chain for refugees arriving into the UK through the support of the group’s charity arm, the Pret Foundation.

The Pret Foundation made a £50,000 donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal in March 2022 to set up the employment programme.

Pano Christou, chief executive at Pret A Manger and trustee of the Pret Foundation, added: “Viktoria and her team have done a phenomenal job in making our Ukraine Employment Programme a success, getting processes up and running in a matter of weeks to employ Ukrainian refugees in our shops, facilitate English lessons, and provide financial and mental health support.

“It’s been an absolute privilege to see those on our programme become part of the Pret family and I’m hugely grateful for their hard work and dedication even through the toughest of circumstances.”