Greggs is stockpiling bacon and tuna ahead of Brexit

Bakery chain is preparing for Brexit by ‘building stocks of key ingredients’

Sabrina Barr
Wednesday 02 October 2019 15:20 BST
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Greggs is gearing up for the impending impact of Brexit by stockpiling key ingredients including bacon and tuna.

On Tuesday, the bakery chain released its third quarter trading update, detailing its trading performance, the launch of its new autumn menu and its expectations for the year ahead.

In the statement, the firm outlined that it has taken the UK’s upcoming departure from the European Union into account when considering the “flow of goods into the UK”.

“We are preparing for the potential impact of the UK’s departure from the European Union by building stocks of key ingredients and equipment that could be affected by disruption to the flow of goods into the UK,” the report stated.

The statement added that the firm expects to deliver “further growth in the years ahead”.

Roger Whiteside, chief executive of Greggs, explained that the company had organised for storage space across the UK to stockpile bacon and tuna.

“Should there be any short-term disruption at ports, we will be able to last a few days while that goes on and then hopefully it will settle down,” Mr Whiteside told the Financial Times.

The chief executive added that the bakery chain may be able to change the recipes of food items on its menu should the kitchens be lacking in certain ingredients.

“People aren’t going to go without food; they will simply make different food choices depending on what’s available,” he said.

“Most of what we sell, there’s a way round it.”

Earlier this year, Greggs announced it is working on creating vegan versions of all of its best-selling products following the popularity of its meat-free sausage roll.

During an interview with radio station LBC, Mr Whiteside said that customers “want vegan options”.

“If we can produce something that tastes just as good as the meat version, then that will sell very successfully. That’s what been shown by the vegan sausage roll,” the chief executive stated.

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In March, it was reported that Greggs’ sales had topped £1bn for the first time after the launch of its vegan sausage roll helped to increase profits.

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