Chef Express, the company that manages all the catering activities of the Cremonini Group, has signed an exclusive agreement with Pret A Manger, the UK-based freshly made food and organic coffee chain, to launch the brand in Italy. 

The first restaurant was opened today in Terminal 2 of the Milan Malpensa airport, the first of an ambitious development plan signed Chef Express-Pret a Mangèr that should lead to a total of about 40 openings in 15 years. Three more openings are planned by the end of the year, including a second shop in the airport’s Terminal 1 and two more in the Grandi Stazioni Retail circuit.

With this new exclusive partnership, Chef Express confirms itself as an ideal catering platform to develop international catering brands in Italy in a multi-channel mode (travel, commercial, etc.). To date, it is the licensee of prestigious brands such as McDonald's, wagamama and, indeed, Pret A Manger.

 The new partnership marks another step in Pret’s ambitious growth plan to double the size of its business, by expanding into new countries and regions around the world. Pret now has nearly 550 shops across Europe and around the world, and has also recently announced plans to open shops across Portugal and Spain.

As in every Pret shop, Team Members will serve a menu of organic coffee and freshly made food prepared daily in the on-site kitchen using high quality and carefully sourced ingredients. Unsold food will be donated to local charities at the end of each day. 

“We are very pleased to partner with Pret A Manger to bring the most famous chain for fresh food and organic coffee to Italy”, says Cristian Biasoni, CEO of Chef Express. "Our family approach and values, combined with almost 40 years of history and the valuable expertise developed in all channels, are the basis of our success in the catering sector in Italy. With this new agreement, which adds to our partnerships with McDonald's and Wagamama, Chef Express confirms itself as the ideal partner for the multichannel development of international brands in Italy”.

“We know Pret has a huge fanbase in Europe, so I’m delighted to be bringing our freshly made food and organic coffee to even more people across the continent”, comments Pano Christou, Chief Executive Officer of Pret A Manger. "Launching in Italy is a big moment for us and something I’ve been personally looking forward to. We’re excited to be working with Chef Express to help us introduce the Pret experience to people in Milan first, then across the country".

"With Pret A Manger we enrich the catering offer of Terminal 2 with a well-known brand", says Luigi Battuello, SEA's Non Aviation Commercial Director. "We are happy with this opening in our airport because it coincides with their debut in Italy and we can thus offer an absolute news to our passengers, who will appreciate the fresh gastronomic choice together with the philosophy of the well-known English brand. With Pret a Manger, the recently re-opened Terminal 2 offers passengers a new food and social experience, soon to be available also in Terminal 1”.