The appointment comes as the UK-based coffee and food-to-go chain strengthens its leadership team to support expansion across more than 20 international markets.
Pret A Manger has appointed Lucas Lopes Muniz as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective from mid-January 2027. Muniz joins the company’s Global Leadership Team after more than 12 years at Restaurant Brands International (RBI), where he held senior finance, development and general management positions across Singapore, Canada and Switzerland.
In his most recent role, Muniz served as CFO of RBI International, overseeing financial operations across 120 markets, four brands and more than 16,000 restaurants, representing over US$19 billion in system-wide sales. His previous positions at RBI also included President of jkTim Hortons International. He additionally served on the UK boards of Popeyes and Burger King. Before joining RBI, he held positions at financial institutions BBVA and Morgan Stanley.
At Pret, Muniz will lead the company’s global finance function and support its international growth strategy. He succeeds Gustavo Peixoto, who is leaving the business after five years to take up a new position in the education sector.
Peixoto joined Pret in 2022, when the company was recovering from the pandemic. During his tenure, he helped strengthen its financial position, return the business to profitable growth and oversee two successful refinancings. He will remain with the company until the end of March 2027, working alongside Muniz from mid-January to facilitate the transition.
Pret CEO Pano Christou said Muniz’s experience across established and emerging markets would be particularly valuable as the company continues expanding internationally. Christou also highlighted the growing contribution of overseas operations, noting that Pret now operates in more than 20 international markets, with more than £1 of every £4 spent at the business coming from overseas.
Muniz said he was looking forward to joining Pret, highlighting opportunities to create value in both the UK and international markets.
Founded in London in 1986, Pret A Manger has developed into an international food-to-go and coffee chain, with more than 750 shops, approximately 12,500 team members and operations across 20 international markets, according to its November 2026 company information.
Its international footprint spans the UK, Ireland, the United States, Hong Kong, France, the UAE, Kuwait, India, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium, Singapore, Germany, Canada, Italy, Greece, Spain, South Africa and Qatar.
Franchising is an important part of Pret’s international development strategy, allowing the company to enter markets and expand its presence through local operating partners. The brand also operates through a combination of company-owned shops and franchise partnerships.
In the UK, Pret works with franchise partners to expand into additional locations. Its official franchise programme invites established food and beverage operators to apply for development opportunities. The company specifies that prospective partners should have experience operating a medium-to-large food and beverage business, with annual sales exceeding £10 million, a net worth above £7 million and access to at least £3.5 million in liquid assets.
In the United States, Pret has identified franchising as one of the routes for accelerating expansion, including through its partnership with Dallas International.
The company has also pursued partnerships in other international markets, including its entry into India through a partnership with Reliance Brands.
Muniz’s appointment comes as Pret continues to build its international business and increase the contribution of overseas markets to overall sales. His experience overseeing the financial operations of a large, multi-brand restaurant portfolio across 120 markets brings a background in international restaurant operations to the company’s next phase of growth.
