​Pret A Manger Revamps Coffee Subscription Model

Pret A Manger is set to discontinue its current five-coffees-a-day Club Pret subscription and replace it with a more traditional discount model. Beginning on 3 September, Club Pret membership will offer a 50% discount on up to five barista-made drinks daily. The cost will be £5 per month until 31 March 2025, after which it will rise to £10 per month.

Under the existing scheme, Club Pret members enjoy five free coffees daily and a 20% discount on food for a monthly fee of £30. This change marks a significant shift from the original subscription, YourPret Barista, introduced in September 2020. Initially priced at £20 per month for five drinks per day, the subscription was rebranded to Club Pret with subsequent price increases to £25 and then £30 per month.

Clare Clough, Managing Director of Pret UK & Ireland, reflects on the evolution of the coffee subscription: "It's almost four years since we introduced our coffee subscription at the height of the pandemic, and I'm proud of the role Club Pret has played for us and our customers since. It was an innovative way to reconnect with our loyal customers and introduce Pret to tens of thousands of new ones, bringing customers back into our shops with an offer that almost seemed 'too good to be true'. Four years and over a quarter of a billion coffees later, we have decided that it's time to rethink how it works."

Clough acknowledges the change and assures that the revised Club Pret will still offer excellent value: "We know this is a change. But with a Club Pret subscription, our coffees, teas, coolers, and iced drinks will continue to be the best offer on the high street, and at a much more accessible price than the £360 a year people have to pay for the current scheme. Given the majority of our customers are not Club Pret subscribers, our priority now is to focus on better value for everyone."

Simultaneously, Pret has introduced several price reductions. The Arabica Filter Coffee is now priced at 99p, and the croissant price has been reduced from £2.30 to £1.99. These reductions follow earlier price cuts this year on the free-range egg mayo sandwich and tuna baguette.

Pret has encountered several issues with its subscription model in recent months. In March, the company had to tighten regulations to prevent members from sharing their free coffees with non-subscribers via QR code. This was addressed by requiring users to log into the app to claim their free drink. In April, technical problems led to some users being unable to access the app, resulting in refunds for affected subscribers.

Additionally, Pret faces competition from other high-street chains. In May, Leon, a healthy fast food group, launched the UK's cheapest high-street coffee subscription, Roast Rewards. For £25 a month, subscribers can receive up to five barista-made drinks daily and a 20% discount on its breakfast and all-day food menu, excluding meal deals.

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