A BAKER founded as an egg and yeast purveyor on North-East streets aims to tap into the modern convenience culture by ramping up drive-thru plans.

Greggs is embarking on a new venture to serve customers behind the wheel.

Boss Roger Whiteside today (Tuesday, August 1) told The Northern Echo the firm is now looking at potential sites as the company aims to smash a 2,000-store target nationally.

The drive-thru culture, traditionally associated with the US, has grown in the UK over a number of years, with accustomed operators, such as burger chain McDonald’s, now joined by firms including coffee chain Costa.

Mr Whiteside said Newcastle-headquartered Greggs has been buoyed by the response to its first drive-thru in Manchester, with officials actively scouting other bases.

He also said it was a reflection of the shift in focus at the business, which began when John Gregg sold eggs and yeast from his bike to Newcastle families in the 1930s.

Mr Whiteside has led the charge to move away from Greggs’ traditional bread-making past to the food-on-the-go present, wherein the company complements savoury goods with low-calorie sandwiches, salads, drinks, fruit pots, coffee and an extended breakfast menu.

Answering questions from The Northern Echo, Mr Whiteside said: “We are excited about this, it’s gotten off to a flying start.

“We opened our first drive-thru in June and customers have taken to the idea and see this as something that is entirely natural.

“They can order without getting out of the car, it works for people.

“We now actively looking for more sites.

“Now we have repositioned Greggs as a food-on-the-go operator, it is all about convenience.”

Such growth, said Mr Whiteside, will help the firm take its store estate beyond the 2,000 mark, with fresh moves into the South-West and Northern Ireland, and ongoing deals with petrol forecourt operators, adding to Greggs’ established high street presence.

However, the former boss of Marks and Spencer’s food halls said it could yet go further.

He added the baker is continuing a “watching brief” over an in-store click-and-collect service and confirmed a pilot scheme to trial sandwich and confectionary deliveries for office staff across the North-East, London and Manchester remains in place.

Mr Whiteside was speaking yesterday as Greggs revealed its half-year results to July 1, which showed total sales, helped by like-for-like growth in coffee and breakfast goods, were up 7.3 per cent to £453m.

Despite the successes, he said the business remains wary of the ongoing threat of inflation, which affects ingredient costs.

However, he added that while the firm can “never say never” on price increases, its existing structure and an investment in operations means certain costs are already lower.