Case Study: Pret grows beyond big cities with eatbigfish’s regional shop strategy

Pret creates regional flagship stores with eatbigfish for 2025 launch and 2026 rollout

PRET, a global food and coffee chain, faced a challenge growing beyond major city centers, as their traditional model was not succeeding in smaller British towns and regional locations. To unlock profitable growth, they partnered with the consultancy eatbigfish to adopt a more Challenger way of working and rework their recipe for success.

eatbigfish implemented a solution involving immersive research, including a 'Shop Safari', and introduced the Challenger concept of ‘Can If’ to push strategic thinking. This process resulted in a blueprint for a new 'shop of the future' that better showcases Pret's fresh food. The strategy informed the design and launch of two flagship regional stores in 2025, with a planned rollout of the new hybrid store model across the UK in 2026. The success also prompted consideration for a global application of the strategy.

PRET