British food chain Pret Aa Manger has opened its first shop in Dublin today as part of a planned expansion into the Irish market.
The company has more than 450 outlets in the UK as well as premises across Europe, North America and Asia.
It plans to open 20 shops on the island of Ireland over the next decade, creating 500 jobs in the process.
It predicts up to 10,000 people will come to its first Irish outlet, on Dublin's Dawson Street, during its first week in operation.
Pret was first established in the early 1980s and began to expand rapidly in the 2000s.
The company's strategy saw it open branches close to large office blocks in order to benefit from high volumes of workers nearby.
However that model meant it was particularly badly hit during the pandemic, when office workers were told to work from home.
That led to a 74% fall in its sales in 2020, with the company closing branches and laying off 3,000 UK workers as a result.
Following that the company adopted a new strategy, which it dubs 'bringing Pret to the people'.
That has seen it look towards high footfall areas, including retail zones, for new outlets.
The company has also developed an 'at home' range, as well as trialing outlets within supermarkets.
