Greggs has announced it is aiming to operate at least 3,500 stores in the UK by the mid-2030s and plans to expand its estate and meet customer needs with new store types.

Under the plans, Greggs will target locations beyond the High Street such as airports, railway stations, roadsides, retail parks, and supermarkets where it sees “significant headroom for further growth”.

The fast food and bakery chain announced the new goal alongside its H1 2026 results, in which it recorded a 22.9 per cent year-on-year rise in operating profit to £86.5 million.

In addition to the new stores, Greggs has opened four small-footprint “bitesize Greggs” stores, a trial of ten “Greggs Express” self-service drinks and hot food offering within partnered retailers, and its first overseas site in Tenerife South Airport.

As of 27 June, Greggs operates 2,773 sites in the UK and expects to open 100 to 110 new stores annually until it hits its target.

The organisation is currently finalising new distribution centres in Derby and Kettering that are expected to be completed in late 2026 and mid-2027 respectively. It said the sites will introduce more automation such as “robotic picking of frozen goods”, helping it to meet the demands of its expanding estate.

Roisin Currie, chief executive of Greggs, said: “Greggs continued to outperform the market and has delivered an improved sales performance and strong cost control through the first half of 2026, resulting in profitable growth.

“We remain focused on opening shops in more catchments and introducing convenient ways for customers to pick up Greggs favourites, while broadening and innovating our menu in line with changing tastes and trends. We are making great progress in building the supply chain infrastructure that will support the significant growth opportunities that lie ahead. The board's expectations for the full-year outcome are unchanged.”

In a briefing with the media, Currie suggested that the 3,500 figure could end up being conservative and in the long-term, Greggs would like to exceed it.

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