Bakery chain Greggs, made famous by its vegan sausage rolls, opened a record number of stores last year.
The chain is on a mission to have more than 3,000 stores across the UK and in 2023 opened 220 new shops, taking its portfolio to 2,473.
Over the period, Greggs closed 75 stores, relocated 42 shops and refurbished 122 sites.
The chain opened its first airport store at Gatwick and expanded its presence at other travel hubs, retail parks, supermarkets and grew its drive-thru estate.
Partnerships with retailers also increased, with four new Tasty cafés opened in Primark stores, taking the total to six, 17 further shops opened in Tesco stores (taking the total to 32), and five new stores opened in Sainsbury’s supermarkets.
This year, the chain is planning to open between 140 and 160 new stores and believes there is a “clear opportunity “for significantly more than 3,000 UK shops.
Chief executive Roisin Currie said: “We are very much on track to deliver our bold five-year growth plan to double sales by 2026 and to have significantly more than 3,000 shops in the UK over the longer term.”
Total sales across the business were up 19.6% to £1.8bn for the year ended 31 December, with pretax profits up from £148.3m in 2022 to £188.3m last year.
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