Three major arrivals in the catering sector that will impact the Greek market

Three business ventures will engage the Greek catering market in the near future. Two of them have international origins and are the bakery chains "Le Pain Quotidien" and "Pret A Manger."

The third business venture consists of purely domestic entrepreneurial forces, as entrepreneurs Christos Kopelouzos and Vlasios Georgatos collaborate under a common umbrella with the aim of renovating and reopening the Aegli Zappeiou complex with a restaurant, event space, and cinema.

Le Pain Quotidien: From Belgium to Greece

Le Pain Quotidien (which means "the daily bread" in French) is a group of bakeries-restaurants founded in Brussels in 1990 by Alain Coumont. As a young chef, he was dissatisfied with the quality of bread sold in most stores in Brussels. Thus, Coumont began making his own organic bread with sourdough and just four ingredients: flour, water, salt, and time. The Le Pain Quotidien chain now has more than 210 bakeries in 21 countries. The company's goal is to create meaningful connections among people in a home away from home. It serves simple, delicious, authentic organic and local cuisine with ingredients of the same quality as those used at home.

Another important arrival in our country is Pret A Manger, which, in collaboration with the leading food and beverage group SSP and Fraport Greece, is opening its first Pret shops in Greece. The first store opened in December 2023 at Thessaloniki Airport "Macedonia," and three more will follow in the summer of 2024. Pret A Manger's decision to enter the Greek market is part of its international expansion, following the opening of new stores in Spain and Italy.

Pret A Manger's expansion in Greek airports

Pret A Manger, Fraport Greece, and SSP, a major player in the food and beverage and restaurant sector at global travel points, have entered into this collaboration to offer fresh products and organic coffee for the first time in the Greek market. Before the start of the summer season in 2024, three more stores will open at the airports of Mykonos, Kos, and Zakynthos, offering passengers Pret's menu, which includes fresh sandwiches, salads, hot food options, snacks, pastries, as well as hot and cold beverages.

The Georgatos-Kopelouzou partnership

Another significant partnership is that of entrepreneur Christos Kopelouzos with the owner of the Gregoris chain, Vlasios Georgatos. On January 2, 2024, the Competition Commission announced the merger, through which Foodcorpo Investments, controlled by Christos Kopelouzos, and Gregoris, gained joint control over the special-purpose company "1904 A.E.," which aims to provide catering services and will undertake the renovation, operation, and management of the Aegli Zappeiou building complex to function as a multifunctional venue for dining, leisure, cinema, and event organization. Foodcorp is a company with the statutory purpose of participating in companies related to any sector of economic activity and making investments.

The rent of Aegli Zappeiou

It should be noted that in the spring of 2023, the Olympic and Heritage Commission, to which the space at Aegli Zappeiou belongs, held a competition. In this specific process, Gregoris was selected as the operator.

The 20-year contract for the management of the property provides for a monthly rent of 35,100 euros and additional rent, starting from January 1, 2025, which will correspond to 1% of the annual gross income of 5 million euros, while the investment to be implemented is estimated to be around 5 million euros.