Greggs to target customers on weight loss jabs with smaller portions after profits hit

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Greggs plans to target customers on weight loss jabs by rolling out smaller portions and protein-rich alternatives.

The bakery chain admitted there’s “no doubt” the injections are changing “what and how” people eat and is adapting its range to suit these customers. Weaker demand for sausage rolls and other baked goods has dealt a £10m blow to profits, prompting the move.

Boss Roisin Currie said that if anyone is on weight-loss drugs, then “we know they still need to eat”. She said: “But what they need to eat starts to change and the portions that they start to eat are changing. That’s really important for us and making sure that we have got a variety of protein-led options in our range. And also making sure that we’ve got some of the snack products that customers are looking for if they are on any of the GLP-1 drugs.”

GLP-1 drugs are named after the hormone they mimic in the brain that curbs appetite and makes people feel fuller for longer.

Greggs said weaker demand for baked goods saw a challenging start to 2025. The company blamed higher costs and the recent heatwave for a decline in customers visiting its stores. Ms Currie added: “Hot food doesn’t sell well in those [high] temperatures. We know that people eat less when it starts to get to those temperatures.”


She said that many consumers are "saving rather than spending" due to continued pressure on their household finances. The Newcastle-based business revealed that pre-tax profits fell by 14.3% to £63.5 million for the half-year to June 28, compared to a year earlier. It said the first half of 2025 was impacted by "challenging market footfall, more weather disruption than in 2024" and increased costs.


The high street bakery chain told shareholders earlier this month that soaring temperatures in June dragged on demand for its hot food over the month. And on Tuesday (July 29), the group added that it was also affected by heavy snow and strong winds in January.

Ms Currie admitted that it has experienced "challenging" conditions on the high street this year. She said: "If you look at all the consumer confidence data, it remains low and points to cautious and fragile customers. They are saving rather than spending and that means they aren't out and about on the high street as much. Customers are worried about their finances and being very careful about their spending, but we do think Greggs is in a positive position because of our strong value offer."

She also said the business still believes it can expand to "significantly more than 3,000" sites across the UK. The firm said sales still grew by 7% to £1.03 billion for the half-year, as it was buoyed by new stores. Greggs said like-for-like sales across company-managed stores grew 2.6%, with 4.8% growth across franchise sites.

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