Pret A Manger, the UK’s beloved freshly made grab-and-go sandwich and coffee shop chain, has now opened two pop-ups in Toronto following a successful launch of its first Canadian location in Vancouver earlier this summer.
A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. has partnered with Pret to bring the famous brand to Canadians.
Susan Senecal, Chief Executive Officer of A&W Food Services of Canada, said Canadians have long been calling for bringing Pret to their community, having experienced the iconic coffee and sandwich shop in London, UK, New York City, and beyond.
“A&W Canada has admired Pret for a while. It started with a love of its fresh sandwiches and salads and grew from there. We approached the brand and got talking, then realized that we have a lot in common and so do the people in the businesses,” she said.
“Toronto is a bustling hub full of residents and visitors involved in fast paced activities – making Toronto an ideal market to integrate Pret’s fresh, ready-to-eat style meals. We want Torontonians to learn about Pret, spread the word, bring their friends for lunch or a coffee break and keep coming back!
“You can find Pret in Toronto at 60 John Street, right in the heart of the Entertainment District; a short walk from Union Station, the Financial District and Queen West. We’re also excited to announce Pret opened its second Toronto shop, located in Downsview Plaza (recently).”
Senecal said both Toronto and Vancouver felt ideal for the company’s first Pret pop-ups.
“Pret’s fresh grab-and-go concept is perfect for guests with busy urban lifestyles – plus Vancouver and Toronto are both large international cities. From there, it was a race to see where we could build our first pop-up the fastest! We have strong franchisee interest in both markets and in this case, Vancouver was ready first,” she said.
“For Pret, it’s an exciting expansion into a new market. Canadians come to A&W for the best tasting burger made with simple, high-quality ingredients and now with Pret we can expand that to fresh-made sandwiches, salads, soups and pastries, prepared right in our kitchens.
“The guest reaction to Pret has been very positive so far and we’re excited to continue to bring freshly-made grab-and-go meals to more Canadians in Toronto and Vancouver. We have our target set on 12-15 Pret pop-ups over the next two years.”
For Pret Canada locations: https://www.pret.com/en-CA/find-a-pret.
Pret a Manger at A&W Canada on John Street in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs) 
Pret a Manger at A&W Canada on John Street in Toronto (Image: Dustin Fuhs)
Pret has more than 560 locations in more than 10 countries.
In a statement, Pano Christou, Chief Executive Officer at Pret A Manger said, “We are very excited to see how well Pret is being received by customers in Vancouver and we look forward to continuing to build on this momentum with our second pop-up opening in Toronto with A&W. We look forward to continuing to serve our freshly made food and organic coffees to more Canadians and further growing our brand in new markets.”
According to officials, Pret was started by two college friends who set out to create the sort of food they craved but couldn’t find anywhere – nutritious, simple and delicious, prepared fresh every morning. They opened their first shop in London in 1986 and the brand has since revolutionized the concept of sandwich making and on-the-go meals, expanding all over the world, said the company.
“Built on amazing service, delicious food and engaged customers, Pret is constantly innovating its offerings around the world. From its unique freshly made and high-quality ingredient sandwiches to successful vegetarian-only locations – marking the first-ever for an international food chain – it’s no wonder Zagat called Pret “the best British invasion since the Beatles.” The new Canadian Pret pop-ups bring all the quality, values and taste closer to home with an assortment of its most famous menu offerings. Whether it’s dashing to work in the morning, or taking a much-needed afternoon break, ‘noshing’ at Pret is definitely worth the visit,” added the company.
A&W Canada has more than 1,000 restaurants across the country.
