Greggs urges 'no more surprises' as prices rise

THE boss of Greggs has urged the Government to avoid any “surprises” in the autumn Budget, as the bakery chain prepares to raise some of its prices this week.

- GRAEME WHITFIELD

Roisin Currie, the chief executive of Greggs, confirmed a set of price hikes taking place on its menu, with its breakfast deals going up by 20p and some baked goods by 5p.

Ms Currie said it “still offers exceptional value” with the deals and stressed that a number of other products “will be protected and will not move”.

Meanwhile, the chief executive said the retailer was hoping for a “balanced Budget” when Rachel Reeves sets out her tax and spending plans in November.

“I guess what's not helpful is when it's something that comes out that surprises us and that’s what happened with the national insurance last year - we weren’t expecting that and it came in very quickly,” she said.

“It’s quite hard to plan and manage a business when you have a £20m hit that you hadn't predicted or weren’t aware was coming.”