Greggs’s health kick pays off as salads and yoghurts help lift sales

Total sales at Greggs rose 5.6 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 October

Greggs new 'healthy' sourdough pasties are part of a move to diversify away from fatty foods (Greggs)

Greggs, the high street bakery chain, has reported rising sales over the summer, boosted by demand for its healthier range.

The baker, known for its pasties and sausage rolls, said total sales rose 5.6 per cent in the 13 weeks to 1 October helped by the popularity of its low calories products such as salads and yoghurts from its ‘Balanced Choice’ range.

Like-for-like sales, which include shops that have been open for more than a year, jumped by 3.4 per cent.

Its breakfast offering – including the popular £2 breakfast roll and hot drink meal deal – was also among the fastest growing parts of its business.

“The popularity of our summer menu including an extended range of Balanced Choice salads and yoghurts supported sales growth in the period,” the company said in a statement.

“We also saw continued strong growth at breakfast time, helped by our strong coffee offer and value deals.”

The baker, which operates more than 1,700 retail outlets, is now two years into its five-year strategic plan to shift from a traditional bakery business to focus on Britain’s £6bn food-to- go market.

The Newscastle-based firm has already launched its autumn and winter menu which includes new lower-calorie bakes and soups along with a range of new snacks with gluten-free options.

So far this year, Greggs has refurbished 145 shops and is on track to refurbish around 200 over the full year.

It has opened a net 45 stores, with a net of about 70 planned for the year.

Shares in Greggs were up by nearly 2 per cent in Tuesday morning trading.

Additional reporting by Reuters