Greggs wins court battle to sell late night sausage rolls in Leicester Square

Greggs has won the battle to serve late night partygoers piping hot sausage rolls and steak bakes at its flagship Leicester Square store.

The High Street bakery was refused permission to stay open from 11pm to 5am to sell hot food and drinks in its central London location by Westminster Council.

The Met Police argued the location would become a hotspot for “crime and disorder” and the council branded Greggs’ idea “half-baked”.

Greggs argued the area would not be a hotspot for trouble and would bring in customers who were working night shifts or staff from the emergency services.

The confrontation was heading for a court showdown, but now a compromise has reportedly been reached so that Greggs is able to keep its popular London location open until 2am.

A three day appeal hearing that was set for May 16, May 17 at Westminster Magistrates Court was today cancelled after Greggs appeal was withdrawn.

The High Street chain negotiated with the council outside court and have come to an agreement.

The compromise brings to end a lengthy dispute after the council said it had “legitimate concerns” that were raised “by the police and local people” about Greggs plans to open late.

It added: “There are worries that businesses serving 24/7 in the city centre creates challenges and that the bakery could become a hot spot for late night disturbances and anti-social behaviour.”

The Metropolitan Police told the council in a letter: “It is our belief that if granted, the application could undermine the licensing objectives in relation to the prevention of crime and disorder.”

Hundreds of people gathered last year for the opening of Greggs flagship store as they rolled out the blue carpet to distribute their popular baked goods.

The flagship store is nestled in London’s West End alongside other popular UK eateries.

Roisin Currie, CEO at Greggs, told theEvening Standard: “We’ve now got an agreement with Westminster -- we’ve reached a compromise.

“We can still sell all of our sandwiches, all of our sweet products [late at night] but we’ve been working with the council on what we can sell later in the evening. It’s very positive and we’ve worked well together.”

It comes as the bakery chain revealed on Tuesday that its sales surged by nearly a fifth over the year to date as its cheap meals remain “compelling” to cash-strapped consumers.

Sales grew by 17 per cent over the start of the year compared with 2022, partly because the first few months of the previous year were impacted by the Omicron variant, Greggs said.

Hot food such as chicken goujons and wedges are proving popular, alongside as strong demand for pizza as the retailer moves further into the evening market.

Greggs currently has 2,360 shops, but previously hinted at further expansion to more than 3,000 across the UK.

Additional reporting by PA