What Is Greggs Express?
What Is Greggs Express? The New Self-Service Format, Explained
I spotted the name on a petrol forecourt sign and had absolutely no idea what it meant. Turns out it’s Greggs’ first-ever self-service format — and it’s not the same thing as the “Bitesize” shops you might have already heard about. Here’s the actual story.
So here’s what actually happened. Greggs opened its first-ever self-service format in May 2026, tucked inside a petrol forecourt just outside Glasgow Airport. No counter, no queue, no one asking if you want that heated up — you grab your own bake, pour your own coffee, and pay yourself on the way out. It’s a proper departure from how Greggs has always worked, and I wanted to know exactly what it is before writing another word about it.
Quick heads up before we go further: there’s another new, smaller Greggs format doing the rounds called “Bitesize Greggs,” and the two get mixed up constantly online. They are not the same thing. I’ll untangle that properly further down, because getting it right actually matters if you’re trying to find one.
What Greggs Express actually is
Greggs Express is a compact, self-service unit — think somewhere between a vending set-up and a mini shop — installed inside an existing forecourt or travel-hub site rather than being a standalone Greggs shop. The first one opened within a Motor Fuel Group (MFG) petrol station just outside Glasgow Airport in May 2026, run in partnership with MFG rather than as a typical Greggs franchise shop.
Greggs’ own property director, Tony Rowson, described it at launch as the brand’s “latest concept being trialled to help us enhance our customer experience, focusing on convenience and speed,” adding that the units let customers “grab their favourite bake or serve coffee themselves, ideal for customers on the move.” MFG’s head of operations for food service, Jamie Constable, said the self-service model is well suited to “the fast-paced, on-the-go needs” of forecourt customers filling up on fuel.
Greggs Express vs Bitesize Greggs vs a normal shop
These three formats get lumped together a lot, but they’re genuinely different concepts aimed at different types of location.
| Format | Launched | Staffed? | Typical location | How many so far |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Greggs shop | Ongoing since 1939 | Yes, full counter | High streets, retail parks | 2,700+ UK-wide |
| Bitesize Greggs | 2025 | Yes, smaller team | Train stations, tight prime spots | 4 open by mid-2026, more planned |
| Greggs Express | May 2026 | No, self-service | Petrol forecourts, travel hubs | 3 by H1 2026, ~10 targeted by year end |
The easiest way to remember itBitesize is a smaller Greggs shop with real staff behind the counter. Express has no counter at all — you serve yourself and check out on your own, more like a self-service coffee point than a bakery.
What’s actually on offer
The range is smaller than a full Greggs shop, focused on things that work well grab-and-go: savoury bakes, sweet treats, breakfast sandwiches, doughnuts and Fairtrade hot drinks, plus bundled food-and-drink deals designed for speed.
Savoury bakes
The core range — sausage rolls and similar bakes, kept warm and ready to grab.
Self-serveSweet treats & doughnuts
A pared-back selection of the sweet side of the menu for a quick treat with fuel or coffee.
Self-serveFairtrade hot drinks
Self-serve coffee, following the same Fairtrade sourcing used across every Greggs shop.
Pour yourselfSince this format is all about the products people already know, it’s worth checking real prices rather than guessing. The Greggs Sausage Roll currently runs at £1.30 for 348 kcal at a standard store, and a Flat White is £2.40 — though forecourt and travel-hub pricing can run a little higher than standard high-street stores, similar to what you’ll already see at Greggs’ airport locations.
The Greggs Express timeline so far
Worth knowing: these trial units sit outside Greggs’ headline target of 100-110 net new shops for 2026 — Express sites are counted separately, so they’re additional to the main store-opening figures you’ll see reported elsewhere. Greggs’ next scheduled trading update, on 1 October 2026, should give a clearer read on how the trial is going and whether more forecourt partners get added beyond MFG.
Why Greggs is doing this now
This isn’t a one-off gimmick — it’s part of a much wider shift in where Greggs is choosing to open. More than half of the shops it opened in the first half of 2026 were in what the company calls “non-traditional locations”: petrol forecourts, supermarket sites, retail parks, hospitals and university campuses, rather than classic high-street units.
- The high street is getting crowded. With well over 2,700 UK shops already, finding fresh prime high-street spots is harder than it used to be.
- Franchise partners open doors fast. Working with an existing operator like MFG means Greggs can test new formats without building or staffing a full shop.
- The long-term target is big. Greggs has said it wants to add over 700 more shops to its UK estate, aiming for around 3,500 sites in total.
- Travel and forecourt spending is reliable. People buying fuel or catching a flight are a captive, repeat audience for a quick bake and coffee.
If you’re curious about the other side of Greggs’ expansion story, our pieces on Bitesize Greggs stores, Greggs drive-through locations and Greggs’ first overseas store in Tenerife all cover different parts of the same growth push.
Self-service and allergy information
A format with no one behind the counter naturally raises the question of how allergen information gets across, and it’s a fair one to ask.
If allergies are a bigger factor in your choices generally, our full 2026 Greggs allergen guide covers the wider menu in more detail.
Frequently asked questions
What is Greggs Express?
Greggs Express is a compact, self-service format that Greggs began trialling in May 2026, starting with a unit inside a Motor Fuel Group (MFG) petrol forecourt just outside Glasgow Airport. Rather than being served by staff at a counter, customers help themselves to savoury bakes, sweet treats and Fairtrade hot drinks, then pay at a self-service checkout. It’s designed for high-footfall, on-the-go locations such as forecourts and travel hubs, with around ten trial sites planned by the end of 2026.
Is Greggs Express the same as Bitesize Greggs?
No, they’re two separate formats and it’s a common mix-up. Bitesize Greggs, launched in 2025, is a smaller staffed shop for space-constrained prime locations like train stations, with a normal counter service. Greggs Express, launched in May 2026, is a self-service kiosk with no counter staff, aimed at forecourts and travel hubs where a full shop wouldn’t fit or make sense.
Where can I find a Greggs Express store?
The first Greggs Express unit opened in May 2026 at an MFG petrol forecourt just outside Glasgow Airport. Greggs and MFG have said further units will roll out across MFG-operated forecourts during 2026 as part of the trial, with around ten sites planned in total by the end of the year, so it’s still a small, growing network rather than something available nationwide yet.
