Greggs plc

British baker and takeaway food group Greggs on Monday forecast a 2019 pretax profit ahead of previous expectations after enjoying strong trading despite comparatives with last year getting progressively harder.

British baker and takeaway food group Greggs reported another rise in sales in its latest quarter as more customers visited its shops, though the rate of growth slowed, reflecting tough comparative numbers with the same period last year.

British baker and takeaway food group Greggs reported another rise in sales in its latest quarter, though the rate of growth slowed, reflecting tough comparative numbers.

Vegan sausage rolls lured more people into the bakery stores of Britain's Greggs, helping drive a 58% first half profit rise as they also snapped up coffees, sandwiches and cakes.

Greggs, the British baker and food-on-the-go retailer, posted a 58% rise in first-half profit on Tuesday, driven by a boost to sales from the popularity of its vegan sausage rolls.

* Total sales for 19-wk period rose 15.1% (Adds analyst comment, background, shares)

Britain's FTSE 100 bounced back as investors returned to equities after U.S. President Donald Trump backed trade discussions with China to be successful, while baker Greggs hit a life-high on brighter 2019 prospects.

British baker Greggs on Tuesday said it sees sales and profit for 2019 materially higher than its earlier expectations, as its vegan sausage rolls continue to be a big hit with consumers.

* Shares up 41 percent so far this year (Adds detail, analyst comment, shares)

British baker and takeaway food group Greggs reported a 10 percent rise in 2018 profit and said it had made a "very strong" start to its new financial year.

* Shares jump as much as 11 percent to record high (Adds details on vegan trend, analyst comments, shares)

Sales of a new vegan sausage roll drove a 14 percent rise in sales for British high street baker Greggs in the first seven weeks of 2019 and prompted the company to promise underlying pretax profit ahead of previous expectations.

** British baker Greggs shares up >5 pct to a record high; among top gainers on FTSE Mid 250 index

British baker Greggs nudged up its 2018 profit forecast to at least 88 million pounds ($112 million) after demand for its festive bakes, mince pies, hot drinks and breakfast items led to a "very strong" finish to the year.

British baker Greggs nudged up its 2018 profit forecast to at least 88 million pounds ($112 million) after a "very strong" finish to the year driven by demand for its festive bakes, mince pies, hot drinks and breakfast items.

Greggs Plc expects higher pre-tax profit in 2018 compared with a year earlier, the British baker said on Tuesday, as it benefits from cost cuts and stronger sales in October and November.

British baker Greggs reported a 3.2 percent rise in like-for-like sales for the third quarter, an improvement on its first half, after its drinks range and new focaccia-style pizzas proved popular during a particularly hot summer.

Greggs reiterated its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday, sending shares in the British baker higher after a push into healthier foods helped confound fears that the warm weather would put customers off its hot meals and drinks.

* Shares fall as much as 19 pct (Adds detail, CEO, analyst comment, shares)