Wales' first drive-thru Greggs will open to fans of the popular bakery giant in Swansea in July.
Following a handful of successful pilots in England, construction of the new Greggs store has begun near to the existing McDonald's and Starbucks outlets in Fabian Way.
The Greggs drive-thru in Swansea is expected to create 20 jobs and two more Greggs drive-thrus are "in the pipline" in as-yet-undisclosed locations in Wales.
Steve Jones, estate surveyor at Greggs, said: “We are delighted to be bringing drive-thrus to our customers in Wales with the first scheduled to open in Swansea in July.
"We anticipate that our drive-thru sites will become popular with busy families and people on the go. It is a resilient formula in general and has proven to be especially convenient for people during the pandemic restrictions. "
Huw Thomas, director of retail and Leisure at Cooke & Arkwright, acting for Greggs, said: "The drive-thru model is quickly becoming part of Greggs’ continuing expansion plan in Wales. We have been sourcing highly visible plots with good accessibility in prominent roadside locations as well as on established retail, business and industrial parks.
“In addition to the new drive thru’s, we have also exchanged on several new shop openings for this year and 2022 at Cross Hands Business Park; Brynmawr Retail Park; Mariner Street, Swansea; Cymmer Road, Porth; and Newport Retail Park, with many more currently in solicitors’ hands.”
It is the latest in a series of new drive-thru restaurants planned for Swansea.
Planning for a Burger King drive-thru in Parc Tawe, near to the existing Costa outlet, has been submitted to Swansea Council and Canadian coffee and fast-food chain, Tim Hortons, has submitted plans for a drive-thru restaurant in Llansamlet.
Objections were raised during the planning process for the Greggs drive-thru in September 2020, with a local councillor describing the impact of the existing fast-food restaurants in Fabian Way on local residents as "sheer hell".
Cooke & Arkwright said it had secured other new shop openings for Greggs in Wales last year, most of which were on non-high street locations in Cardiff, Barry, Pengam, Cwmbran, Pontyclun, Merthyr, Mumbles and Chepstow.
