Hints and tips:
...Britain’s ageing housing stock doesn’t help....
...Brito didn’t get the nickname La Maquina for nothing....
...Last week, chief executive Clive Schlee capitulated, announcing plans to put ingredient lists on individual sandwiches....
...“We don’t want to stop you eating meat, meat’s still a very important part of our menu, but we want to tempt people away so you don’t eat it all the time.”...
...“I wouldn’t be pretentious enough to say I’m selling a vision of London,” says Schlee. “But it’s certainly a face of it.” A defining part of Pret’s identity is migrant labour....
...Under no circumstances will we risk that — we haven’t cut any of our bonuses.” Pret opened 23 new shops in the UK last year and Mr Schlee denied that the sandwich chain was close to saturation....
...All that is very important and you simply can’t afford to alienate your staff,” he said....
...Clive Schlee, chief executive, said the group’s expansion plans remained flexible. “We’ve always managed expansion quite carefully,” he said. “We don’t have to put in big fixed investments.”...
...And they balked at buying lunch where they couldn’t also serve themselves filter coffee. Pret primarily offered espresso-based drinks....
...“That led to excessive overheads and a story that wasn’t right for the US consumer. “But since we have stepped back and adjusted the model, we see this as a key area for growth.”...
...I suppress my momentary queasiness by telling myself the place would not be open if the authorities hadn’t declared it safe, that the staff who were there six months ago hadn’t been affected, and that Schlee...
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