Why is there no Greggs store outside of the UK

[SunshineCorner]

I always wonder why Greggs doesn't have any shops overseas. I've definitely never seen them outside the UK. Coming from Japan, I really like their steak bake, and I'm absolutely sure they'd be super popular over there, even if they cost a bit more.

Because it's shit.

Dunnes Grocery in Ireland do a frozen Gregg's selection including sausage rolls and steak bakes. Presumably if they can do them in Ireland they could do them elsewhere.

Bakery tastes across europe are vastly different. I could see Greggs potentially working in the Netherlands, but nowhere else.
And the Netherlands are a tiny market with plenty of their own offers.
Spain, France, portugal, germany, italy, switzerland, Belgium - not a chance.
Eastern europe - equally unlikely.

Because their food is shit 😂 (Greggs, that is)

Paul is a French bakery chain and they’ve been around in the UK for years, well London at least (apologies all non-Londoners, I have no idea if Paul are outside London or not). I ordered a cake from Paul for my friend’s baby shower and the aftermentioned baby is sitting her A levels this year.

Also, mad that people compare Greggs to bakeries. It's a fast food chain!

Spanakopita 😍🤤

@Dingalingalong that’s the one- love it!!

You can buy Greggs in Gibraltar at the Food Co supermarket.
I know it's almost the UK but if you were on the Costa and desperately needed a Greggs, they are there.

@TY78910 well there’s quite a few branches around of ole and steen ( Danish) which goes under a different name in Denmark - but it’s the same company.

Greggs don't sell their food hot - its a crime or something.

(from memory its to do with the Cameron government - remember them? blessed Brexit etc - introducing a fast food tax to save us all from obesity. Hot take away food incurred a tax so Greggs stopped selling hot food. You can get a warm sausage roll if you are there when they come out of the oven, then they cool down.

They will also not butter a scone. They used to charge extra to butter a scone, but now they don't butter scones.

Not sure if this is still the case - I stopped going to Greggs as I'm not keen on cold sausage rolls & unbuttered scones.

Still if it cures obesity it will be worth it ......

You can occasionally get frozen Greggs products here in the UAE.

Paul is also huge here.

We also have Waitrose at a huge mark up.

We have frozen Greggs here in Dubai, never tried it and never will but people go mad for them.

Our Pauls bakery/coffee shop has been out of mini macaroons for months and I asked why and they said thew are made in France and shipped over.

Greggs food not being hot predates Cameron by a few decades. I worked there in the 1980s and the pasty rules were the same then.

I think most ready to eat food overseas is just better quality. Malta has a big pasty culture but they're all fresh and home made by little independent kiosks and are very cheap. Greggs just wouldn't get a look in.

I love all kinds of crap so I’m definitely not a food snob but I can’t stand Greggs. It looks unappealing and tastes like slop in uncooked pastry. I can’t understand how they have done so well in the UK!

Yes that is true - but Ole and Steen is more of an experience (the social slice is beautiful) but you’d go in for a nice coffee and a slice. Paul too to an extent @HundredMilesAnHour. I just can’t imagine people abroad aspiring to go in for a steak bake and a watered down coffee!

Oh god who wants a cold baked bean pasty? 🤮
Explains why it's been shite every time I've gone there then.

I'm not an expert but Greggs coffee is fine. Certainly no worse than any of the other chains, most of which are twice the price.

Dishwater coffee and abattoir floor scraping pastries.
I wonder why they haven't expanded outside the UK.

Oh I’m totally with you on that - not a fan of Greggs at all

Because we all have our own shite unhealthy food without importing it. Plus it's minging.

I was gonna mention Paul as an example that has come to the UK. Sadly I’ve never seen any outside London. Us northerners are deprived though we do have quite a lot of Gail’s popping up

I can see they might do well in Spain for ex pats, considering they do t even sell stotties outside of the North East I’m not sure the tradition British sausage roll would go down well outside of a UK audience.

When I lived in Japan in c 2004 they had pret which was something of a novelty. Weirdly all the sandwich boxes just had one sandwich not two. Perhaps a Gregg’s in Japan might do alright in Tokyo as a novelty thing but I just can’t see it springing up everywhere like it is here, so it probably isn’t worth the effort

other countries have better places for lunch, to be blunt

Because it’s the kind of junk food you only like if you’ve been brought up on it.

DH loves it. I’d rather go hungry.