How Many Greggs Are There in the UK?
The quick answer
Greggs had 2,796 shops trading in the UK on 26 September 2026: 2,157 run by the company and 639 by franchise partners. That is up from 2,739 at the end of 2025. The North East has the most Greggs per head, followed by Wales and Scotland. London and the South East have the fewest in England. On outlet count, Greggs now sits ahead of Costa, Subway and McDonald’s.
How Many Greggs Are There in the UK? 2026 Shop Count by Region
Every pub argument about Greggs ends in the same place: how many are there, actually? Not “loads”. A number. Here is the official count, how it has changed since 2020, where the shops sit and how many are coming next.
The 2026 headline number
Greggs reported 2,796 shops trading at 26 September 2026 in its Q3 trading update, published on 30 September. Of those, 2,157 are company-managed and 639 are run by franchise partners.
The estate has grown by 57 net shops this year. Greggs opened 95 and closed 38, and 20 of the closures were relocations, where a shop moves to a better site. That is why Greggs quotes net figures.
Greggs expects 100 to 110 net new shops across 2026, which puts the year-end total at roughly 2,840 to 2,850. It reports “Greggs Express” installations separately, with 12 planned this year. The next trading update is scheduled for 14 January 2027, and we update this page when it lands.
Franchise partners now run just under a quarter of the estate (22.9%, up from 21% at the end of 2024). They operate where Greggs can’t easily trade directly: motorway services, petrol stations, airports and educational sites. Those shops sit in the top price tier on our menu price tables, typically 27–55% above standard shops. Our Greggs franchise model guide explains why.
Greggs shop numbers by year, 2020–2026
The pandemic cut net openings to 28 in 2020. Growth then ran at roughly 100 to 150 net shops a year: +103 in 2021, +147 in 2022, +145 in 2023 and +145 in 2024. 2025 added 121 net after 86 closures, and 2026 is guided lower again.
Year-end totals come from Greggs plc results and trading updates. The dark bar is the 26 September 2026 count, not a year-end figure.
Greggs shops by region and nation
Greggs doesn’t publish a regional split, so we built one from public store-locator listings for September 2026. We compared two independent datasets, averaged them and rounded to the nearest 5. Northern Ireland uses Greggs’ own count. Treat single cells as approximate and the pattern as reliable.
| Region / nation | Approx. shops | Share of estate | Per 100k people |
|---|---|---|---|
| North West England | 325 | 11.7% | 4.3 |
| Scotland | 320 | 11.6% | 5.8 |
| West Midlands | 285 | 10.3% | 4.7 |
| South East England | 270 | 9.8% | 2.8 |
| London | 250 | 9.0% | 2.8 |
| Yorkshire & the Humber | 235 | 8.5% | 4.2 |
| East of England | 230 | 8.3% | 3.5 |
| South West England | 215 | 7.8% | 3.6 |
| North East England | 205 | 7.4% | 7.6 |
| Wales | 205 | 7.4% | 6.4 |
| East Midlands | 195 | 7.0% | 3.8 |
| Northern Ireland | 32 | 1.2% | 1.7 |
| UK (listed shops) | ~2,770 | 100% | 4.0 |
Three things stand out. The North West and Scotland have the most shops, at roughly 12% of the estate each. London and the South East hold about 520 shops between them, 19% of the total, despite having over a quarter of the UK’s population. And Northern Ireland is small but growing: 32 shops, with two more planned in Dunmurry and east Belfast.
By city, Glasgow and London each have close to 50 shops within city limits, Edinburgh about 30, and Newcastle, where Greggs started in 1939, just over 20. Our 20 best Greggs outlets and busiest Greggs in the UK pick out the standouts.
Greggs per 100,000 people: the league table
Raw counts favour big regions. Shops per 100,000 residents is the fairer measure, and it changes the order.
The North East leads by a distance, at 2.7 times London’s rate. Wales and Scotland rank second and third, ahead of every other English region. The UK average is about 4.0. London and the South East tie near 2.8, and Northern Ireland trails at 1.7.
The five Greggs shop formats
The estate isn’t 2,800 copies of one shop. Greggs trades through five formats, and the mix is moving towards smaller units. Our guide to Bitesize vs Express vs full-size stores covers the differences.
Full-size shop
The standard format: full counter, on-site baking and the whole menu.
Drive-thru
The 50th opened in Sunderland in Q3 2026. The first opened in Salford in 2017. Drive-through locations
Bitesize Greggs
Smaller shops with a shorter range, for busy sites with no room for a full shop. Five are open, including Tesco Southwark, the first in a supermarket. Bitesize stores in 2026 · Greggs in supermarkets
Greggs Express
A self-service coffee and food unit for convenience sites, trialled with Motor Fuel Group. The first opened near Glasgow Airport in May 2026. What is Greggs Express?
Franchise partner shops
Run by partners at motorway services, petrol stations, airports and educational sites. 639 at 26 September 2026, up from 602 at the end of 2025.
A shorter menu usually means a Bitesize or Express unit rather than a full-size shop. Same brand, less shelf space.
Why London and the South East have fewer Greggs
Greggs started in Newcastle in 1939 and spread through the North first. That head start still shows: London and the South East run at about 2.8 shops per 100,000 people, against 7.6 in the North East. Greggs is working on it. Coverage of its half-year results noted that many of this year’s openings are in places with no Greggs within a mile.
Location also drives price. Our tables use three tiers: Standard, City/London and Franchise/Airport. City and London shops typically cost 11–19% more than a standard shop, and franchise and airport sites 27–55% more. A Sausage Roll is £1.35 at a standard shop, £1.53 in the City/London tier and £1.80 at a franchise or airport site. Our London vs rest of UK comparison and Gatwick vs Heathrow airport prices put numbers on the gap, and the Price Finder checks any item by tier. For the lowest prices, see the cheapest Greggs branches.
What’s opening next in 2026
Greggs expects 100 to 110 net new shops in 2026, down from 121 in 2025 and 145 in 2024. After 57 by 26 September, it needs roughly 43 to 53 more before the year ends.
Franchise partners delivered 17 of the 41 openings in the first 19 weeks. Bitesize units are going into stations, outlet centres and, since September, supermarkets. Drive-thrus reached 50 in the third quarter.
Medium term, Greggs expects at least 100 net openings a year. Its stated ambition is significantly more than 3,000 UK shops, and its new Derby and Kettering distribution centres are built for at least 3,500. At 100 net openings a year the total passes 3,000 during 2028, on our arithmetic. Greggs hasn’t published a date.
Overseas, Greggs opened a shop airside at Tenerife South Airport in June 2026, its first outside the UK since a Belgian venture closed in 2008. It runs with franchise partner Lagardère Travel Retail, and Greggs describes it as a test. More in our piece on Greggs opening in Tenerife. To check your own town, try the is a Greggs opening near me tracker.
Greggs vs Costa, Subway and McDonald’s: UK outlet count
| Chain | UK outlets (approx.) | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Greggs | 2,796 | Bakery |
| Costa Coffee | ~2,700 | Coffee |
| Subway | ~2,050 | Sandwich |
| McDonald’s | ~1,500 | Burger |
| KFC | ~1,000 | Chicken |
| Pret A Manger | ~500 | Sandwich / coffee |
Greggs: company figure, 26 September 2026. Others: rounded to the nearest 50 from 2026 trade-press and location data. Costa covers staffed coffee shops, not Costa Express machines.
A bakery from Newcastle now has more UK outlets than every other chain in that table. Allegra World Coffee Portal’s Project Café UK 2026 report, published in January 2026, had Greggs overtaking Costa, 2,737 outlets to 2,707.
How we build these numbers
- National total: Greggs plc results and trading updates. The current figure is from the Q3 update of 30 September 2026.
- Regional split: two public store-locator datasets (September 2026), averaged and rounded to the nearest 5. They list about 2,775 shops, slightly under Greggs’ official total, so regional figures are approximate. London and the South East differ most between datasets because of how border postcodes are assigned, but together they match at about 520. Northern Ireland is Greggs’ own count.
- Per-head rates: shops divided by rounded ONS mid-2024 population estimates.
- Updated: after each Greggs trading update. Last refresh 6 November 2026.
FAQs
How many Greggs are there in the UK in 2026?
Greggs had 2,796 shops trading on 26 September 2026: 2,157 company-managed and 639 franchised. That is a net gain of 57 since the end of 2025 (2,739). With 100 to 110 net openings guided for the year, the total should finish around 2,840 to 2,850.
How many Greggs shops are franchised?
639, or 22.9% of the estate, at 26 September 2026. Franchise partners run shops at motorway services, petrol stations, airports and educational sites. Prices there typically run 27% to 55% above standard high-street prices.
How many new Greggs shops are opening in 2026?
Greggs expects 100 to 110 net new shops in 2026, plus 12 Greggs Express installations. By 26 September it had opened 95 shops and closed 38 (including 20 relocations), a net gain of 57.
Which part of the UK has the most Greggs per head?
The North East, at about 7.6 shops per 100,000 people on our estimates. Wales (6.4) and Scotland (5.8) follow. London and the South East sit near 2.8, and Northern Ireland is lowest at about 1.7.
How many Greggs are there in Scotland, Wales, London and Northern Ireland?
Store-locator counts for September 2026 put Scotland at about 320, London at about 250 and Wales at about 205. Northern Ireland has 32 shops on Greggs’ own figures, with two more planned.
Which UK city has the most Greggs?
Within city limits, Glasgow and London each have close to 50 shops, ahead of Edinburgh at about 30. Newcastle, where Greggs began in 1939, has just over 20. Greater London as a whole has about 250.
Is Greggs bigger than Costa or McDonald’s?
On UK outlet count, yes. Greggs has 2,796 shops against roughly 2,700 Costa coffee shops and 1,500 McDonald’s restaurants. Allegra World Coffee Portal had Greggs overtaking Costa in its January 2026 report.
Are there any Greggs outside the UK?
One. Greggs opened a shop airside at Tenerife South Airport in June 2026 with franchise partner Lagardère Travel Retail, its first outside the UK since a Belgian venture closed in 2008. There are no Greggs in the Republic of Ireland.
