First it was Wetherspoon, now Greggs: The Great British invasion of Spain begins

British holidaymakers will soon be able to gain easy access to familiar baked favourites as Greggs follows JD Wetherspoon into Spain with its debut Iberian branch.

Greggs is readying its first international outlet since a brief Belgian experiment back in 2008 for launch later this month at Tenerife South Airport. Passengers can spot the new site straight away in the international departures lounge, where seating for ninety-two customers invites a proper sit-down rather than a quick grab-and-go.

Greggs brings sausage rolls to Canary Islands departures

Passengers on their way back to the UK will be able to tuck into classic sausage rolls, steak bakes, sandwiches and sweet treats on offer at the new Tenerife branch. Breakfast crowds can tuck into a Spanish omelette roll while fresh orange juice gets squeezed and bottled daily on site for a local hat-tip to Spain that still keeps prices keen.

Company bosses describe Tenerife South as perfect for testing overseas waters given its thirteen million passengers each year and the fact roughly half travel to or from the UK. Chief executive Roisin Currie has called the move an exciting milestone that delivers a slice of home to British visitors four hours before they arrive back there. Was the Spanish tortilla really all that bad?

Lagardère Travel Retail partners on the project after running thousands of airport outlets worldwide. Javier Cagigal, who heads the firm for Spain and Portugal, welcomes the addition as a comforting choice for those heading home, whether they are looking for a final treat or something to ease the journey.

Sales climb despite tough UK conditions

Expansion continues apace, with forty-one new openings planned against twenty-one closures, leaving the estate at two thousand seven hundred and fifty-nine branches in the UK. Plans call for one hundred and twenty net additions this year on the road to three thousand sites long-term.

Yet some city watchers question whether sales momentum can match that store opening rate. Shares have dropped almost one fifth over the past twelve months, and the group counts among the most shorted stocks on the market, with around one hundred and fifty million pounds bet against further falls. Could European expansion be the key to steadier waters in the pastry game?

So much for the healthy Mediterranean diet

Critics might chuckle at the arrival of greasy British pastries right in the heart of Spain, where olive oil and fresh fish normally rule. So much for the healthy Mediterranean diet now that sausage rolls tempt weary travellers in departures.

This latest step sees Greggs test whether its great value formula travels as well abroad as it does on UK high streets. What will international passengers make of sausage rolls and tandoori chicken pizza? They will soon find out, and it may prove a recipe for success or might be simply another chapter in the great British export story.

No high street Greggs exists elsewhere on the island, so airport visitors get the only chance to sample the chain until further expansion news arrives. Social media buzz is already building around the opening, with many asking exactly when counters start serving.

The exact launch date remains unconfirmed other than “later in May”, but plane passengers can watch airport notices or Greggs channels for final details. One thing looks clear from Newcastle to the Canaries: British baked goods show no sign of slowing their overseas march.