East Lothian Greggs: ‘Huge milestone’ as 500th franchise shop opens in Monktonhall outside Edinburgh

East Lothian is now home to the 500th Greggs shop in the franchise after the food-to-go giant opened their new outlet with partners MFG this week.

Located at a petrol filling station site in Monktonhall just off the A1 outside of Edinburgh, bosses say the new shop highlights the significance of franchise model in driving a long-term growth strategy for the business.

The landmark opening comes one year after Greggs launched their 400th shop and is one of 71 franchised units that opened in 2023, with these locations now accounting for approximately 20 per cent of the retailer’s total estate.

The new Greggs in East Lothian opened on 14 December, 2023

Malcolm Copland, commercial director at Greggs said: “Just one year since we marked our 400th franchise, we’re now delighted to open our 500th – this is a huge milestone that underscores the success of our franchise model. As we round off 2023, we’re pleased to be well on track to meet our ambitious shop expansion targets for the year ahead.”

Mr Copland added: “The relationships we’ve built over the years with our valued franchise partners have been critical in enabling us to accelerate our shop expansion plans, reach key travel hub locations across the UK and enhance even greater accessibility for our customers.”

Greggs works with 16 franchise partners across the UK, allowing them to access to restricted locations such as motorway services areas, petrol filling stations, educational establishments and smaller high street convenience locations.

The partnership with MFG, the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator, has seen a network of 84 shops, all trading as part of petrol filling station locations across the country. Many of the MFG franchised shops are strategically positioned in roadside locations and retail parks, enabling Greggs to cater to customers on-the-go.