Pret A Manger scraps smoothies, frappes and milkshakes

Pret-a-Manger has announced it will scrap most of its blended drinks in favour of a new range of iced drinks.

Describing the move as its “biggest drinks innovation in over five years”, the firm said its full range of new products will be available in over 90% of its shops.

The latest range of iced coffees and teas, which will replace the current frappes and smoothies, will also be included as part of Pret’s Coffee Subscription.

It comes after more than 5,000 complaints were recorded in 2021 over Pret’s subscription deal, with customers saying they were unable to get frappes and smoothies due to blenders being broken.

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) at the time told Pret to “consider reviewing” its advertising campaign for the £25-a-month subscription.

According to the BBC, former Pret workers also said that the cold drinks on the subscription meant workers were left overwhelmed, and often pretended blenders were broken to avoid making the time-consuming cold drinks.

The firm’s latest decision will see blenders removed to make way for new ice machines in its UK shops from April.

Smoothies and frappes will still be available in select shops until May 29.

A Pret spokesperson said: “We know that Pret customers are huge fans of iced coffees and drinks, so over the next few months we’ll be increasing their availability across more Pret locations with new ice machines installed across our shops.

“We will also be replacing our current range of frappes and smoothies from April, and bringing in a bigger range of iced drinks to choose from.

“Once the changes are complete, iced drinks will be available in over 90% of Pret shops, so that even more of our customers can enjoy our full range of barista-prepared drinks.”