Greggs, a leading UK food-on-the-go retailer, has opened its 40th Outlet shop on Glenalmond Place in Edinburgh, creating seven new jobs and marking a significant milestone in Greggs’ commitment to building stronger communities and reducing waste.
Launched in 1974, Outlet shops redistribute surplus food at a discount, with a share of profits given to local charities via The Greggs Foundation. Outlets form an integral part of the Greggs Pledge to build stronger, healthier communities. By selling surplus food products, usually for around 50% of the price you would pay in a Greggs shop, families are able to stretch budgets while still having access to great quality food.
A share of the profits from each Outlet shop is donated to Greggs dedicated charity, The Greggs Foundation. In 2024, The Greggs Foundation awarded over £1.85 million in community grants to 75 organisations that focus on tackling issues directly affecting their local communities including reducing food poverty, reducing social isolation and creating opportunities to build skills and confidence, offering up to £40,000 for up to two years.
Reducing food waste is a key priority for Greggs and the Outlet shops are one of its flagship initiatives to support food redistribution across the UK. In 2024, Outlet customers bought 2.8 million sweet products, 2.7 million sandwiches and 2.4 million savoury products, representing a 17% increase on 2023, with 45% of surplus stock redistributed.
Following strict quality and safety checks, Greggs has expanded the range of products available through its Outlets to include items such as pizza and cream cakes. In a further step to improve food redistribution, in 2024 Greggs launched its own fleet of light vans to collect surplus food from surrounding shops to boost distribution efficiency.
With the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals calling for a 50% per capita global food waste by 2030, the expansion of Greggs Outlets reinforces the company’s global impact on food waste reduction, helping to ease economic, social and environmental pressures in the UK and beyond. In addition to its growing network of Outlet shops, Greggs has partnered with food-saving app, Too Good To Go, alongside local charity partners, to further cut food waste and support its local communities.
Roisin Currie, CEO at Greggs, said: “Opening our 40th Outlet shop in Edinburgh reaffirms our commitments set out in the Greggs Pledge to reduce waste and support communities. By selling surplus fresh products at great value and reinvesting a share of the profits through The Greggs Foundation, we are able to help families and local charities across the country.”
Tracy Lynch, Greggs Foundation Manager said: “The donations we receive from Outlet shops plays a pivotal role in supporting our community grant programme, helping organisations tackle key challenges in their local area. By distributing Greggs Outlet profits locally, we can provide core funding grants to strengthen community services and support teams to deliver for local people. With more Outlet shops in the pipeline, we are proud to work alongside Greggs as they continue to build stronger, healthier communities across the country.”
