Sat on the corner of Deansgate and King Street in the heart of the city centre, Manchester’s Veggie Pret first opened its doors back in 2018, and proved to be a popular new addition right from the off – but it’s now the end of the road for the solely vegetarian and vegan restaurant, as the brand has decided to call time on its final stores.
The sandwich chain began opening its dedicated Veggie branches to cater for growing public demand at the time after it trialled the format eight years ago.
Pret A Manger has announced it is closing its final Veggie Pret outlets / Credit: Pret A Manger
Although all regular Pret branches across the UK serve a decent selection of vegetarian and vegan options, the offerings at Veggie Prets are known to be much greater – especially when it comes to plant-based food.
ADVERTISEMENT
At one point, Pret had 10 Veggie outlets on high streets nationwide, and had even been planning to convert the majority of the Eat stores it had acquired in 2019 to Veggie Prets too, according to Retail Gazette.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic got in the way of the company’s plans and forced it to “reevaluate”.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester’s Veggie Pret on Deansgate convert over to a regular Pret branch / Credit: Pret A Manger
With the chain explaining that because its other stores offer meat-free options, it did not need the standalone sites, Pret began shuttering a number of its Veggie Prets in late 2022, and then more again in 2023, until there were only three branches still standing in 2024.
Not final closing dates have been confirmed, as far as we’re aware, but the final two Veggie Prets in London, and the one here in Manchester, are expected to be converted over in due course.
Speaking on the decision to close the four final Veggie Prets, a spokesperson for the company said that “every Pret is a Veggie Pret”, as one in three of the main meals it now sells at all regular branches is either vegetarian or vegan, and there’s new additions to the menu being added all the time.
The spokesperson then assured customers that the company plans offering an “even broader selection” of vegetarian and vegan options in all Prets going forward.
Featured Image – Pret A Manger (via Facebook)
Trending
Drinks prices revealed as Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub opens inside T2
Emily Sergeant
It’s official… Manchester Airport’s first-ever JD Wetherspoon pub has officially opened its doors inside Terminal 2.
The 300-seater pub – which welcomed its first customers earlier this week – is named The Belle Vue after Manchester’s historic showground.
Throughout the pub, you’ll spot design features that nod to the city’s sporting heritage – including vintage event posters and memorabilia, a ‘locker wall’ hosting trophies and other sporting exhibits, and a cricket-themed design in the carpets and bar panels.
Creating around 150 jobs in the process, The Belle Vue is the final planned new eatery to open in the airport’s redeveloped Terminal 2, marking one of the final steps in the super-terminal’s decade-long, £1.5bn transformation.
Manchester Airport’s first-ever Wetherspoons pub has opened inside Terminal 2 / Credit: Supplied
According to the MEN, pints are priced from £6.20 for Carling and Coors lager, £6.45 for Budweiser, £6.60 for Guinness, and £6.70 for Poretti and 1664 Biere.
Prosecco is £9.20 for 175ml glass and £37.10 for the full bottle, while spirts and mixers are £6.80 for singles and £10.20 for doubles.
There’s also the classic Wetherspoons tea and coffee machines, where you can refill as many times as you like for just £3.60.
“It’s a proud moment to see the final new retail unit opening in our new-look Terminal 2,” commented Richard Jackson, who is the Retail Director at Manchester Airport.
“To be rounding off this 10-year programme by adding such an iconic name as Wetherspoon to the terminal is particularly special and we know that it will prove extremely popular with passengers. We think they’ll love the nods to Manchester’s heritage in the décor and design – and of course the name.”
The Belle Vue will be open from the first flight to the final flight each day, and food will be served from opening until 10pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
Trending
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Emily Sergeant -
9th February 2024 
