Pret A Manger

Description

Pret A Manger, a London-based chain of sandwich shops, was known for its fast, genuine service and pre-packaged sandwiches prepared on-site daily. Instructed by its board to grow at 15 percent per year, Pret considered opening "twin" shops in locations too small to contain kitchens; these shops would receive sandwich deliveries throughout the day from a nearby "parent" shop. Would Pret's employees and customers accept twin shops or view them as counter to the Pret culture? Through this decision point, the case frames a discussion about how companies build service models to reliably deliver customer service excellence. The case also helps students understand the role of employee management systems in creating consistent service experiences and introduces a set of innovative employee management practices.

Keywords

Action planning Advertising Agile software development Business growth Business Models Career planning Collaborative innovation Community development Cross-functional management Customer service Diversity employee attitudes Employee empowerment Employee privacy Employee retention Employees Empowerment Execution Financial planning Growth Incubators Information management Innovation Inventions Leadership Leadership development London Stock Exchange Management Managing employees Models Multibranding Performance management Planning Production Production planning Products professional development Revenue growth Service management Service strategy Social responsibility Western leadership styles