Schlee will be replaced by Pret’s chief operating officer Pano Christou, who has worked for the high street food chain for the best part of two decades.

Pret chair Olivier Goudet describes Schlee as “the beating heart of Pret” and it’s no exaggeration to say the Oxford University graduate, who spent the first half of his career in the investment sector, has transformed the business.

Under his leadership, sales have grown tenfold to over £1bn and the brand now has a footprint of 550 shops across nine markets.