British sandwich and coffee chain Pret A Manger has announced significant changes to its popular subscription service, set to take effect from September.

The current "Club Pret" scheme, which offers up to five free barista-made drinks daily for £30 per month (increased from the scheme’s launch price of £20), will be replaced with a new model. Under the revised plan, subscribers will receive 50 per cent off up to five drinks per day for a reduced fee of £10 monthly.

The company is also discontinuing the 20 per cent discount on food items that came with the subscription. Pret cited a desire to simplify pricing across its product range as a reason for this change.

Clare Clough, Pret's managing director for the UK and Ireland, said: "Four years and over a quarter of a billion coffees later, we have decided that it's time to rethink how it works."

She added: "Given the majority of our customers are not Club Pret subscribers, our priority now is to focus on better value for everyone."

The subscription service was launched in September 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to attract customers back to stores. It proved highly popular, with sign-ups far exceeding initial expectations.

To ease the transition, Pret is offering the new scheme at £5 per month for both existing and new subscribers until 31 March 2025. The chain is also reducing prices on some popular items, including dropping its filter coffee to 99p.

The changes come as Pret aims to balance the needs of its loyal subscribers with those of its wider customer base. The company stated that its coffees, teas, and other drinks will continue to offer excellent value on the high street, now at a more accessible price point.

---