Pret A Manger boss Clive Schlee will step down this September after 16 years running the sandwiches seller, the firm said today.
Under Schlee, the company expanded rapidly to 550 shops in nine countries, generating £1 billion in sales.
But Schlee has also had to deal with issues such as allergy-related deaths after 15-year-old Natasha Ednan-Laperouse died three years ago following a reaction to sesame in a Pret baguette.
Schlee will be replaced by Pano Christou, who has been at the company for 19 years and is chief operating officer.
In May the firm bought rival firm Eat for £55 million and plans to turn the outlets into Veggie Prets. Pret is majority owned by Germany’s Reimann family.
