Pret A Manger reveals 'Not Just for Veggies' campaign as healthy eating trend helps fuel annual growth
Pret A Manger is looking to battle misconceptions around vegetarian dishes by encouraging meat eaters to sample food from its vegetarian menu.
The fast-food chain’s ‘Not Just for Veggies’ campaign comes on the back of its annual results which were posted today (19 April). The figures show that sales of vegetarian food noted double digit growth in 2015 for the brand, which achieved a 13.9 per cent increase in sales overall to reach £676.2m last year.
Pret, which opened up 36 new shops worldwide in 2015, has credited a change in consumer attitudes towards healthier eating for its strong year-on-year results. It also revealed that 58 per cent of its sales for the year were made outwith lunchtime, on the back of increased demand for breakfast on-the-go style meals.
Its best-selling product of the past 12 months was its veggie ‘Beets, Squash and Feta SuperBowl’, shifting 17,000 a week and out-performing both chicken and salmon options. To capitalise on the distinct shift towards meat-free meals Pret says it wants to show that "vegetarian food can be delicious enough to be enjoyed by everyone, not just 'full-time' vegetarians."
As such, the new campaign, developed in-house, will run in-store, online and across social. The drive features images of carnivores, like lions (above) and piranhas hand-crafted out of fresh fruit and veg. The chain will also turn its website and social channels green to announce the push and publish content to encourage conversation around the subject.
Additionally, 'Pret’s little Veggie Pop Up' will take over one of the restaurant's existing Soho shops in June, with 40 new recipes in development for the occasion.
Mark Palmer, group director of marketing said a consultation the brand took on social media last year showed how passionate customers were "about helping to shape the future of our menu.
"It reaffirmed that Pret’s role is to make eating less meat easy and delicious for everyone, not just for veggies," he said, adding: "Our new ‘Not just for Veggies’ campaign is both a response to the customer consultation, and a way of continuing the conversation further."