n 2020, what people associated with Pret a Manger would shift forever. Since being founded in 1986, Pret is adamant on delivering good quality coffee and food (freshly made in store) and in September of 2020; after struggling with customer numbers after the first lockdown after COVID-19, the chain introduced their “subscription”. 

This started off at £20 per month allowing customers 5 free barista-made drinks a day (with 30-minute intervals between) and 20% off food, with the first month free by scanning a QR code that would have been sent to the subscriber. Pret’s Prices were then raised to £25 per month in February 2022 for new subscribers and in March for those already subscribed. Pret blamed the imminent price rise on inflation and the government’s planned increase in VAT to 20% from 12.5%. Prices were then later raised to £30 in April 2023 with new subscribers getting 50% off in the first month. Despite these increases, Pret’s statistics show (https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/pr-media-release-club-pret-launch) that in April 2023, the subscription was being redeemed 1.25 million times a week with an 11% increase in subscribers each year. 

So why were the prices being so continually raised and why did people still stay subscribed? 

With the rapid and steep increases in prices all over the world, inflation was the leading cause of the change in subscription price. However, Brexit was a prominent contributing factor as it meant that importation of equipment such as coffee machines was much trickier, and therefore cost more, so Pret’s income had to increase to keep up with the increase in importation dud to increasing difficulty. To explain the last increase, CEO Pano Christou said: “we’ve increased pay [to employees] three times in the last 12 months and reinvested in benefits to support our people through the cost-of-living crisis” in a media release.(https://www.pret.co.uk/en-GB/pr-media-release-club-pret-launch) Explaining that due to Pret increasing pay, income would have to increase to support and sustain this. 

Despite price rises, most customers are faithful and continue to stay subscribed and purchase food. So why is this? To help answer this question, I interviewed Masha Kondratyeva, a young girl from Kingston that has been using the Pret subscription for 3 years. She said “I feel like I’m gaining something – I'm receiving free drinks and discounts from it, amongst other perks of being part of Club Pret.” However, customers are paying £30 a month whereas without the subscription, they may have been buying less drinks than they do with the subscription, therefore could have ended up spending less in Pret. However, Masha combated this by commenting that she’s “so used to getting Pret drinks, [she] just can’t imagine her daily routine without them. So, [she] stays subscribed because it feels like a bargain and has been great in helping [her] form connections with other customers, and baristas whilst allowing [her] to try new drinks!” 

So, generally, Pret A Manger’s customers continue to stay loyal and consistent, but will the prices act the same?