Pret A Manger reopens 10 stores near hospitals to support NHS workers

Pret A Manger has announced it will reopen 10 shops today near hospitals in London to support NHS workers.

The shops, including sites at Warren Street, Tooting Broadway and King’s Road, will be operated by 160 volunteer staff and be open for takeaway and delivery only, offering a “reduced range of Pret favourites”, as well as a selection of essentials such as milk, bread and butter. NHS workers will be offered 50% discount until the end of the month.

The company confirmed it would also be donating 7,000 additional meals a week to their charity partners, including the Felix Project, to support the homeless.

In a letter to customers posted on the company’s website, Pret's chief executive officer Pano Christou said that since the chain temporarily closed on 21 March, its charity vans had already donated 477,000 Pret items to 138 of their charity partners and 40 hospitals.

Christou added: “Our priority is always to protect our teams and customers as best we can, and we’ve put in place a number of new social distancing measures to align with the government’s guidance.”

Efforts to feed NHS workers dealing with the coronavirus crisis have also been made by other operators, including healthy fast food chain Leon, which has raised more than £1m to deliver more than 5,600 hot meals a day to those working in critical care units in hospitals.