Greggs, the leading UK food-on-the-go baker, has announced its full-year 2023 results.

An impressive performance saw the food giant deliver a healthy pre-tax profit of £188.3 million in 2023, up from £148.3 million the previous year. Like-for-like sales in company-managed shops rose by 13.7%.

The bakery firm also reported a good start to 2024 with like-for-like sales rising by 8.2% in the first nine weeks.

In a challenging economic environment, both sales and profits have risen despite inflation in the cost of raw materials, energy, and salaries. The firm is also returning more cash to shareholders through dividends. with a reported special dividend of 40p per share.

A popular brand that resonates strongly with consumers, Gloucestershire is home to 14 Greggs shops across the county in Cheltenham, Gloucester, Cirencester, Tewkesbury, and Stroud.

Roisin Currie, chief executive, said: "Reflecting on another year of rapid growth, I am so proud of how our teams have risen to the challenge of serving more customers through more channels. Whether in our shops, our manufacturing sites, our distribution network, or in Greggs House, our teams stepped up to make sure that we kept pace with the increased customer demand as we delivered on our strategic growth plan.

"We are very much on track to deliver our bold five-year growth plan to double sales by 2026 and to have significantly more than 3,000 shops in the UK over the longer term."

A record 220 new shop openings and longer evening opening hours have also extended the brand's popularity, contributing to market share growth. Greggs is planning to open its 2500th shop in the coming weeks.