Pret A Manger Unveils New Heathrow T5 Concept Store
Pret A Manger has unveiled a bespoke concept store at Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals, with Draw Creative developing a three-part architectural scheme that responds to the terminal’s original aeronautical design.
Pret A Manger has unveiled a new bespoke concept store at Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals, with architectural interiors and branding studio Draw Creative responsible for a design developed specifically around the character of the terminal.
Positioned immediately beyond the arrivals doors, the store is intended to serve passengers entering the terminal’s public arrivals area, offering Pret A Manger’s organic coffee and food prepared in the shop’s onsite kitchen throughout the day.
The studio sought to relate the new store to the terminal’s large single-span roof and open, column-free interior, using three distinct architectural forms to organise food display, service and seating.
Food Langars: Positioned at the centre of the site to address passenger movement from two separate arrivals exits, the timber display structure presents Pret’s fresh and hot food. A counterweight system allows the timber beams to extend upwards from the floor, creating what Draw Creative describes as a sense of weightlessness while referencing fluid wind forms.
Service Counter and Kitchen: Covering pastry service and hot drink collection, this element combines timber and steel with a cantilevered canopy. The canopy mirrors the counter beneath it and appears suspended above the service area.
Seating and Brand Experience: Curved ends frame the location and incorporate illuminated Pret roundels, artwork and an embossed tile feature carrying the Pret logo.
“When we were appointed to pitch for this incredible site, we knew we had to make a dramatic statement,” “The site isn’t just an interior; it is a structural tribute to the aeronautics vision of the building. We wanted to focus the traveller’s eye on the key elements of the space while maintaining the uplifting, intuitive passenger experience that Terminal 5 is known for.”
Jessica Codrington, co-Founder, Draw Creative
The Heathrow project brings together Draw Creative’s architectural interiors and branding work within a format shaped around passenger movement, food presentation, service and brand visibility.
Pret Develops a Tailored Airport Format
Luke Kan, Global Head of Shop Format and Design at Pret A Manger, described the Terminal 5 project as a complex design brief centred on creating a format specifically for the airport environment.
“We are immensely proud of what we have achieved with our new shop at Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals. The project presented a complex design challenge: to create a flagship vision and tailored format that will welcome and impress the millions of passengers that will travel through T5. We are really happy with the outcome and hope the design will play a part in helping those visiting the UK form their first impressions of the country.”
Luke Kan, Global Head of Shop Format and Design, Pret A Manger
Pret opened its first shop in London in 1986 and says it now operates more than 750 shops worldwide, with 12,500 team members across 21 international markets. Its food is prepared in shop kitchens throughout the day, while unsold food is donated to charity at the end of each day.
Terry Clark is the Publisher and Content Director of 365 Retail, with more than a decade of experience covering retail design, technology innovations, store openings and the wider retail industry. He also works closely with leading retailers, suppliers, agencies, events and industry awards across the UK.
