Greggs the Bakers (Shop)

Greggs the Bakers seem to be taking over in Sheffield where I live and there are now five different branches within the City Centre, yet judging by the queues outside they certainly seem to be far from reaching saturation point.

I find myself visiting these shops on almost a weekly basis and I would put their success down to two main factors. These being: 1) Their very competitive prices and 2) The fact that Greggs Pasties simply are the best Pasties in town.

The Background

John Gregg founded Greggs as a small family Bakery business in Tyneside during the 1930's. Growth of the company remained steady for the next 30 years and they slowly spread from their original shop in Gosforth into the rest of the North-East of England.

Following the death of John Gregg in 1964 the business passed into the hands of his son Ian who quickly restructured the company and began to implement a major expansion plan. The first phase of this plan saw a huge increase in the number of shops in the North-East followed a few years later by expansion into other areas.

This expansion into other areas was fuelled largely by the acquisition of small established local Bakery chains. the most significant of these being the Rutherglen Bakers of the Glasgow area in 1972, Thurstons of Leeds in 1973, and Price's Bakery of Manchester and the North-West in 1974.

By 1984 when Greggs the Bakers floated on the London Stock Exchange they had 261 stores.

Over the next 10 years Greggs continued to expand Southwards through the Midlands and eventually to London and the South-East. Today there are around 1000 Greggs Stores in the UK with a further 200 stores operating under the name "Bakers Oven."

What Do Greggs Sell?

Greggs offer a vast range of different products but part of their success lies in the fact that there is a different range of products sold from each of their seven regional divisions to reflect on the demands from the local community. This clever marketing ploy enables them to not only capitalise on local favourites but also gives the feel of a local Bakery for the local community, for example "Stotties" are sold in all of the branches in the North-East, "Scotch Pies" in all Scottish branches etc, these traditionally local products remain hugely popular with their customers.

The full range of products include Savouries, Sandwiches, Bread, Cakes, Drinks and Snacks.

Savouries - This is definitely the main reason why I find myself joining the queues at my local branch on a Saturday afternoon. All of the Savoury items are baked fresh on the premises throughout the day and are usually served piping hot when you buy them. The savoury range includes my personal favourites, the Chicken Bake which currently costs 72p or if I am feeling a little bit more wealthy the Steak Bake at 88p, although the traditional Sausage Roll remains the most popular item within this range, these are currently 3 for £1.10 which I feel represents excellent value as these are a very impressive size.

Sandwiches - I have bought their sandwiches occasionally but in my opinion these tend to not represent as good a value of the savoury range. All sandwiches are made daily on the premises each day from Bread baked in their ovens and fresh fillings. Most Sandwiches are packaged in plastic containers and stored in the refrigerators but it is also possible to have a Sandwich made up to your own personal taste providing you are happy to wait. The latest addition to the Sandwich range is their Lifestyle Choice which contains healthier ingredients than their standard range.

Bread - This is baked fresh on the premises each day and the smell of this wafting down the precinct is a fantastic advert. I have never actually bought any Bread from Greggs but the range includes Rolls and Baguettes and well as traditional loaves.

Cakes - These can usually be found placed prominently beneath the counter near to the checkout. The range includes Tarts and Doughnuts, as well as Scones but my favourite are the Egg Custards which are often still warm to the touch.

Drinks & Snacks - This is a rather limited range but serves its purpose in boosting the price of the average shopping basket by a couple of quid or so. Products in my local Greggs include Cans and Bottles of Pop and Mineral Water, Crisps and Chocolate Bars.

Other Information

For details of the full product range sold in your local shops you will need to either contact your local branch or regional division as not only the products vary regionally but the prices do too. Alternatively you can contact the head office at the address below:

Greggs plc
Fernwood House
Clayton Road
Jesmond
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE2 1TL

Telephone: 0191 281 7721

Conclusion

I think Greggs are a fantastic chain of Bakers and although most products are made fresh on the premises each day I have found them to be very consistent wherever I have been.

Thank you for reading.