With British tourists seizing the opportunity to fly, specifically to Portugal, sales at the Pret a Manger restaurant chain at major London airports have been exciting. According to the data provided by the company to Bloomberg Agency, Traffic at London Airport cafes has surged in the past week.
Data from Pret a Manger, through the Pret Index, which calculates sales of lattes and meatballs at chain stores, Heathrow and Gatwick stations posted the largest weekly increase. For the first time, the company’s sales at airports represented more than a third of the volume recorded before the pandemic.
Data suggests that UK residents have taken advantage of Portugal’s “green list” for travel. In some cases, the reason for the trip was associated with sporting purposes, to accompany the Champions League final, which was held in Porto on May 29. However, the increase in sales at airports could decline, Pret a Manger CEO Pano Christou points out in an interview with Bloomberg. “We have seen a slight rebound at airports due to the holidays, but there are concerns that this could be undone due to the list being revised. [verde] The UK government divides destinations into three zones: the ‘Green List’, where quarantine is not required upon return, the ‘Amber List’, where non-essential travel is not recommended, and the ‘Red List’, where it is destinations that are not considered safe.
After Portugal was announced off the “green list”, starting on Tuesday, the eighth, tourists returning to the UK will need to quarantine for 10 days. Thousands of tourists tried to avoid quarantine, expecting to return home – the surge in demand drove up fares for travel between Portugal and the UK last Friday.
While sales rose at airports, transactions recorded in points such as Canary Wharf, the area of London where major international banks, law firms or investment funds are located, sales fell last week.
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