Greggs to develop vegan versions of all its bestselling foods

Greggs is working on vegan versions of all its bestselling products, from steak bakes to pasties, as the high-street baker looks to repeat the runaway success of its vegan sausage roll.

The Quorn-filled roll, which launched in January, was so successful that Greggs had to increase production to satisfy demand. The sales boom also drove profits higher, and the business went back to City investors several times last year to say it was making more money than it had expected.

Greggs’ chief executive, Roger Whiteside, upped the ante on Friday when he revealed its developers were working on the vegan recipes for all of its most popular products. He had already told reporters last month that the company was working on a vegan doughnut.

“We are working away to see if we can come up with a version of all our bestselling lines because people want vegan options,” Whiteside said in an interview with LBC. “If we can produce something that tastes just as good as the meat version, then that will sell very successfully. That’s what’s been shown with the vegan sausage roll.”

Whiteside has previously said that the vegan product helped change the perception of Greggs from “an old-fashioned bakery from the north” to a “modern food-on-the-go brand”.

A shake-up of its menu, to include speciality coffees, porridge, soup and wraps, has transformed the group into a serious rival for chains such as Pret a Manger. It also announced plans recently to enter the takeaway dinner market, keeping its shops open until 9pm.

The business handed shareholders a £35m special dividend in July after sales at established stores leapt 10.5% and profits jumped more than 50% to £40.6m in the six months to 29 June.