"There's a Bap for That"… Greggs to Install Wifi Across all its Stores, Report the Cloud

LONDON, March 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

• Greggs becomes UK's largest WiFi-enabled high street chain after deal with The Cloud

Greggs customers are used to getting hand-made sandwiches and freshly baked pasties in the company's 1,571 shops around the UK. But from this summer they'll now be able to surf the internet in-store too, after Greggs signed a deal with WiFi provider The Cloud to install wireless broadband access in all of its outlets.

The roll-out, which starts this month with 100 shops per week and will be completed by the end of summer, means that Greggs will have more WiFi-enabled outlets on Britain's high streets that any other brand. More than six million people use Greggs shops every week.

Graeme Nash, head of customer and marketing at Greggs, said: "We are constantly looking at ways of giving our customers a fantastic experience when shopping at Greggs. We have a number of outlets now with seating and our cafes and new coffee shops, Greggs Moment, are all ideal locations where our customers can benefit from free WiFi."

The deal with Greggs comes after The Cloud, a BSkyB company, signed agreements to install WiFi in the high street stores of retailers including Mamas & Papas, Ted Baker and Phones4u. It already provides WiFi in venues including Pizza Express, Eat, Caffe Nero, Wagamama, Pret A Manger and JD Wetherspoon's.

Vince Russell, managing director at The Cloud, said: "Greggs might not be the kind of brand you immediately associate with WiFi, but this deal shows how mainstream this technology has become. It's no longer the preserve of hotels or train stations where businessmen log on to check their emails - it's used by all sorts of people for everyday reasons like updating their Facebook, Twitter or Foursquare accounts when they're on the go. It's undeniable that the smartphone has changed consumer behaviour and now it's changing the high street too."

About The Cloud

The Cloud builds and operates WiFi networks across the UK and Europe to provide the mobile media experience that consumers want. The service delivers simple, fast, reliable and cost effective broadband to millions of WiFi enabled smartphones, laptops and entertainment devices.  The Cloud has exclusive commercial partnerships with retail, leisure, hotels, sports, transport, and entertainment and content partners to deliver its longer-term vision of a connected society.

Notes to editors:

About Greggs

Greggs is the UK's leading bakery retailer with more than 1,570 shops nationwide and serving more than six million customers a week in Britain. Expert bakers for more than 70 years, Greggs specialise in daily fresh shop-made sandwiches on Greggs own baked bread, and savouries baked off fresh in the shop ovens throughout the day, including the iconic Greggs sausage roll.   These lines are complemented by a wide range of muffins, cupcakes and other confectionery, and a wide range of take home bread and rolls.