Greggs traded from 2,773 shops at 27 June 2026, and more than 600 of them are franchised. A Greggs franchise exists, but not one an individual can buy: its franchise partners are companies that already control forecourts, motorway services, supermarkets and campuses. This article covers who they are, how the model works, and the bakery and coffee franchises open to individual applicants.
Is Greggs a franchise?
Yes, in part. Greggs runs most of its estate as company-managed shops and the rest through franchise partners, a channel it reports separately in its results. In the first half of 2026, like-for-like sales grew 2.1% in company-managed shops and 1.3% in franchised shops, and the group set out a longer-term opportunity for at least 3,500 UK shops.
Greggs publishes no franchise offer for individuals. Its own frequently asked questions page has no application route; it invites anyone who wants a Greggs nearby to suggest the site by email. Pages on other franchise websites that still say Greggs is not a franchise at all are out of date: franchised shops have made up around a fifth of the estate since 2023.
Who can open a Greggs shop?
A Greggs franchise goes to established companies, not to individuals with a high street unit. Its franchise partners give it access to sites it could not otherwise reach, which Greggs itself lists as motorway service areas, petrol filling stations, educational establishments and smaller convenience stores. Greggs had 16 franchise partners in 2024, and its chief executive, Roisin Currie, named Asda as the largest to date.
| Type of partner | Examples named by Greggs or in its announcements |
|---|---|
| Supermarkets and grocers | Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland Foods |
| Forecourt operators | Motor Fuel Group, EG Group, Rontec |
| Motorway services | Moto, Welcome Break |
| Travel and contract caterers | SSP, Compass, Sodexo |
Sources: Greggs announcements and results, 2022 to 2026; Greggs chief executive interview reported in 2024.
The scale of a single partner shows why the door is closed to individuals. Motor Fuel Group alone ran 84 Greggs shops at its petrol stations when Greggs opened its 500th franchised shop in East Lothian in 2023. A partner brings the site, the staff and the capital; Greggs brings the brand, the products and the standards, with its own franchise team supporting openings and auditing shops.
Good to know
“It is a franchise” and “it can be bought” are two different statements for a Greggs franchise. The franchise exists, with more than 600 shops, but the entry route is a company that already controls a forecourt, a motorway service area, a supermarket or a campus. Greggs publishes no initial franchise fee, no investment figure and no application form for individuals.
How much does it cost to open a bakery like Greggs?
Greggs publishes no franchise fee, so there is no Greggs franchise price to quote. Its L’Express Franchise listing shows both the liquid capital and the total investment as not disclosed. What can be compared is what bakery and food-to-go franchisors open to individuals publish, and what an independent bakery costs to set up, covered in the guide to opening a bakery in the UK:
- A franchised kiosk or café: from £140,000 of total investment for a pretzel kiosk to £385,000 for a bakery restaurant, on the listings below
- A mobile coffee van: £42,500 of total investment, the lowest entry point in the same food-to-go market
- An independent bakery: no published average; the costs are the unit, the ovens and mixers, the fit-out and working capital, with no franchise fee and no ongoing management service fee
Alternatives to a Greggs franchise
As alternatives to a Greggs franchise, several bakery, coffee and food-to-go franchisors recruit individual franchisees in the UK and publish their figures on their L’Express Franchise listings:
Auntie Anne’s
Hand-rolled soft pretzel bakery
- Restaurant
- 52 Locations
- Liquid capital: £50000
CINNAMOOD
Your Daily Ritual, But Cooler!
- Restaurant
- 55 Locations
- Liquid capital: £70000
- Auntie Anne’s: freshly baked pretzels from kiosks, with 52 sites stated, a format suited to shopping centres and travel hubs
- Cinnamood: baked cinnamon rolls and coffee, a bakery-led concept on a smaller footprint
- Cafe2U: coffee served from a van, with 85 sites stated on its listing; the closest to Greggs on entry cost, though not on the product
- Esquires Coffee: coffee houses with food, 84 sites stated, with an initial fee that varies by format
- Other bakery brands: Muffin Break and Paris Baguette are also listed under bakery and pastry franchises, without published investment figures
Editor’s tip
The figures above are what each franchisor publishes, and none is audited. There is no franchise law or disclosure document in the UK, so the franchise agreement, the franchisor’s accounts at Companies House and conversations with existing franchisees are what show whether a published investment figure holds up.
Frequently asked questions about a Greggs franchise
Not as an individual. Greggs has more than 600 franchised shops, but its franchise partners are companies such as supermarkets, forecourt operators, motorway services and contract caterers. Greggs publishes no franchise offer or application route for individuals.
Both. Most of the 2,773 shops trading at 27 June 2026 were company-managed, and the rest were run by franchise partners. Franchised shops have made up around a fifth of the estate since 2023.
Greggs had 16 franchise partners in 2024. Those named by Greggs or in its announcements include Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland Foods, Motor Fuel Group, EG Group, Rontec, Moto, Welcome Break, SSP, Compass and Sodexo.
Greggs publishes no franchise fee or investment figure. Bakery and coffee franchises open to individuals publish total investments from £42,500 for a mobile coffee van to £385,000 for a bakery restaurant on their L’Express Franchise listings.
Greggs’ frequently asked questions page invites anyone who wants a shop nearby to suggest the site by email. That is a request for Greggs to consider a site, not an application to run the shop.
Bakery and food-to-go franchisors that recruit individuals include Auntie Anne’s, Cinnamood, Esquires Coffee and Le Pain Quotidien, with total investments from £42,500 to £385,000 on their listings.
