Greggs to fill the stomachs of soldiers overseas

The baker is working with Navy, Army and Air Force Institutes (NAAFI), the organisation which supports Britain’s armed forces abroad, to take its freshly baked savouries to troops in Germany.

In the trial Greggs will supply frozen savouries to the British military base in Gutersloh, Germany.

NAAFI said it aims to give British troops and their families a taste of home wherever they are based around the world.

The idea stemmed from a questionnaire asking armed forces personnel what items they miss most from home.

Top of the list was Greggs’s products.

Greggs will supply a range of seven frozen savouries, including sausage rolls, steak bakes, chilli bakes and sausage & bean melts, which will be baked throughout the day and displayed in a Greggs branded savoury counter.

Greggs said it will train NAAFI personnel to ensure the troops get the same quality and fresh savouries they would in a Greggs shop at home.

The trial started yesterday and will run for 12 weeks.

A decision on rolling out the concept more widely will be taken at the end of the trial.

Ken McMeikan, Greggs’ chief executive, said: “It’s great to hear that Greggs was the most requested brand that troops missed from home

“We are really pleased to be making our savouries accessible to our troops in Germany, and, depending on the success of the trial, more widely available for our armed forces personnel around the world.”

Mike Chapman, head of customer service for NAAFI, said “We are delighted to be able to bring customers the taste of home that they have been asking for.

“Greggs is one of the most popular brands on the UK high street for its iconic sausage rolls and pasties, and our customers want us to deliver that to them during their NAAFI break.”

If the Greggs trial is rolled out it could give the company important new income during the downturn.

As a result of the recession it is seeking other ways of making money and has had success wholesaling frozen savouries through the Iceland chain of supermarkets, as well as opening franchise stores in motorway service stations and branching out into cafes.

Mr McMeikan is a former Tesco and Sainsbury’s executive and a Royal Navy veteran of the 1982 Falklands War.

Last month Greggs said the wettest spring since records began had hit sales, but it said it has high hopes for its new artisan bakeries and coffee shops.

The baker announced plans to open 28 franchise stores in Moto service stations, creating 500 jobs, following two successful trials as part of its plans to expand beyond the UK high street.

The group, which hit the headlines when it successfully beat the Government’s unpopular ‘pasty tax’, said first half profits fell 4.5 per cent to £16.5m in the 26 weeks to June 30.

Greggs was hit by a seven per cent plunge in high street shopper numbers during the wettest April to June period since records began.

Like-for-like sales fell by 2.3 per cent in the first half, which was hit by a 3.5 per cent decline in the second quarter. Mr McMeikan said the group’s plans for new formats are progressing well as it develops different types of shops for different locations.

It now has five ‘Greggs moment’ coffee shops and in June it opened its newest concept shop ‘Greggs the Bakery’ in Newcastle upon Tyne.

This is a more traditional baker’s shop, offering 75 new lines including a wide range of artisan breads, such as walnut loaf, herb focaccia and green olive bread, and ‘made to order’ sandwiches.

Mr McMeikan denied that the new ‘Greggs the Bakery’ brand is taking the chain more upmarket.

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