Asda set to be first supermarket to open Greggs counters inside stores

Fancy a Greggs with your weekly shop? Asda is set to become the first supermarket to open counters selling the bakery chain’s goods inside its stores

• Trial taking place in five locations: Boldon, Corby, Huyton, Wigan and Eastlands
• Launches next month and will offer the entire Greggs menu found on high street
• Items on offer include the chain’s popular vegan sausage roll and steak bake
• Greggs is recruiting between 40-50 new staff for its new Asda concession stores

Greggs fans will soon be able to pick up their favourite baked goods at their local branch of Asda.

The supermarket is set to launch Greggs counters in five of its branches across the UK, including Boldon, Corby, Huyton, Wigan and Eastlands.

The concession stores will offer the bakery chain’s full menu, which includes its popular vegan steak bake and sausage roll, as well as its meaty delights.

The counters are being introduced on a trial basis, and an official launch date is not yet known, reports The Sun.

Greggs fans will soon be able to pick up their favourite baked goods at their local branch of Asda. Pictured: a Greggs bakery store at a service station in Cornwall

It is also too early to say whether the Greggs concessions will be rolled out nationwide and introduced into other supermarkets.    

Asda is the first of the four big supermarkets to introduce Greggs counters – although Iceland is stocking several frozen products by the high street bakery chain.

These include Scotch pies, sausage rolls, bacon and cheese wraps, sausage and bean melts and a variety of bakes.

To staff its Asda in-store concessions, Greggs is recruiting around 40-50 new team members. 

Asda is the first of the four big supermarkets to introduce Greggs counters – although Iceland is stocking several frozen products by the high street bakery chain. Pictured: a branch of Asda in Leeds

Preyash Thakrar, chief strategy officer at Asda, said: ‘We are constantly looking for new ways to increase customer choice.

‘By partnering with brands that fit with our core values of great quality and great value – like Greggs – we’re excited to be able to give our customers access to something new in store that we know they will love.’

Raymond Reynolds at Greggs added: ‘We know that high quality food-on-the-go and convenience go hand in hand, and this trial gives us the opportunity to bring our range of products to more customers in new locations.’

The launch of concession stores follows the bakery chain’s successful trial of a delivery service for its pastries with Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat.

The launch of concession stores follows the bakery chain’s successful trial of a delivery service for its pastries with Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. Pictured: the Greggs vegan steak bake, which launched in January

Fans of the pasties and cakes will be able to order Greggs goods straight to their door, after the service proved successful in various UK cities including Newcastle, London, Birmingham and Glasgow. 

Earlier this week, Greggs’ vegan sausage roll was branded a ‘health halo’ food by consumer experts as it is no more nutritious than the meat version.

The snack was launched by the bakery chain to great fanfare last year, but watchdog Which? found it to be an ultra-processed product that was high in saturated fat and salt.

Earlier this week, Greggs’ vegan sausage roll was branded a ‘health halo’ food by consumer experts as it is no more nutritious than the meat version

Experts also branded four other snacks ‘health halos’ – meaning their nutritional benefit appears good but is in reality quite poor. 

Which? said: ‘The fact something is vegan doesn’t automatically make it healthy. Nutritionally, Greggs vegan sausage roll doesn’t differ much from the meat version.’

‘It’s high in fat, saturated fat, and salt.

‘One portion contains almost half the saturated fat an adult should eat in a day and a third of adults’ maximum recommended salt intake.’

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