Pret A Manger arrives in Shrewsbury becoming second major chain to open this week
Pret A Manger opened the doors to its new Shrewsbury store yesterday - becoming the second major chain to open in the town this week.
And now the sandwich chain has promised to give away any unsold food at the end of the day to local charities who help those in need.
Pret, which was established in 1986, has taken over the former Bank store on Pride Hill, creating 14 new jobs.
It comes in the same week that Wimpy opened a new store on Claremont Street.
WATCH footage from the new store:
The shop had remained closed for a number of years before undergoing a dramatic facelift ahead of the opening of the sandwich chain.
The shop has three floors of internal seating for around 120 customers, a menu of freshly prepared salads, sandwiches, baguettes and breakfasts, and organic coffee and teas, and free Wi-Fi.
All fresh items will be made daily in the onsite shop kitchen.
Ellie Ciccone-Hughes, spokeswoman for Pret, said: “What a privilege to open Shrewsbury’s first Pret A Manger.
"Our fantastic team were excited to open the doors to this beautiful shop and meet our new customers."
Builders spent weeks renovating the former store, turning it from a derelict fashion shop in to a brand new eatery.
Pride Hill one formed part of the medieval town’s commercial centre.
The site’s original building was partially demolished in the late 1600s when cottages were built within its shell.
In the 1900s, the remains of a wall were identified as being that of Bennett’s Hall and became known for a while as the Old Mint, as it was mistakenly identified as the site of Charles the First’s royal mint. The monument wall is visible on the upper floor of the shop.
As part of Pret’s commitment to help alleviate the pressures of homelessness in the UK, the new shop is on the look-out for local charities to donate unsold food to at the end of each day.
Over the past year, Pret’s national scheme has distributed over three million food items to homeless charities, hostels and shelters across the UK.
Juanita Cracchiolo, Pret Foundation Trust project manager, added: “We’re currently looking for local charities to support through food donations each night and would love to be contacted by any organisations who feel they could benefit from collecting fresh, unsold food from us in the evenings.”
Interested charities can contact the Pret Foundation Trust via juanita.cracchiolo@pret.com.
