Popular UK-based foodservice chain Pret a Manger has officially entered the Canadian market with its first storefront within an A&W location in suburban Vancouver. More partner locations will follow and A&W is also expected to open standalone Pret a Manger locations in Canada at some point as part of the franchise agreement.
The Vancouver A&W at 468 SW Marine Drive now features a Pret a Manger shop-in-store component featuring Pret’s freshly made food including sandwiches, pastries, soups, salads, wraps, mac and cheese, fresh fruit, oatmeal, and organic coffee including bagged coffee beans for sale. The same till is used to pay both for Pret items as well as the A&W restaurant on site.
It’s part of a two-year pilot where the Pret brand will open within A&W restaurants in select Canadian markets. A&W signed a master franchiser agreement with Pret a Manger to expand the Pret concept and if the trial phase proves to be successful, A&W Food Services has the exclusive rights to expand the Pret brand across Canada based on an agreed-to development schedule. That could include standalone Pret a Manger storefronts in Canada though a source familiar with the situation says details haven’t been totally ironed out just yet.
The Vancouver location on SW Marine Drive is part of the Marine Gateway project in South Vancouver off of Cambie Street. A busy Skytrain transit station is adjacent which means foot traffic will be heavy at times.
London-based Pret A Manger was founded in 1986 and has more than 550 shops in the UK, US and several other countries.
See below for more photos from the new combined Pret a Manger/A&W location at Marine Gateway in Vancouver.
