Pret A Manger’s biggest selling item… is a BANANA

The chief executive of Pret A Manger today revealed the sandwich giant’s biggest selling item – a BANANA.

Clive Schlee made the astonishing admission when it emerged the company had seen revenue at its 323 stores in the UK rise by 17 per cent to £443 million.

Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, he said the yellow fruit outsold everything, including sandwiches.

He said: “They (sandwiches) are a very important part and they are what we are best known about.

“Fruit is the biggest growing sector and the banana is a very big seller for us

“The single biggest selling item is a banana, which comes from the top tier of the hand.

“It’s always the best banana.”

He also responded to criticism that the firm was not hiring enough UK citizens, saying it had 15 per cent more British employees this year than last year.

Earlier this year, London Mayor Boris Johnson said that an increasing number of workers at food outlets like Pret A Manger were not “native Londoners”.

Mr Schlee said: “We’ve responded to a lot of criticism like that.

“It depends on what market you’re talking about. Outside London Pret is predominantly British.

“Inside London it’s a much more cosmopolitan economy and our staff reflect the nature of the people in London.”

They recently revealed average weekly sales in Paris were bigger than in any other region and plan to open another 50 new shops worldwide this year.