Greggs opens its 2,000th store at South Shields' £21m transport interchange - see first pictures inside

The new branch - which Greggs has confirmed as its 2,000th store - threw open its doors to hungry customers at 7am on Friday, August 23.

The launch of the landmark outlet saw staff literally unwrap it from giant sausage roll paper, before unveiling a commemorative plaque.

Featuring café-style seating, the Greggs is situated inside the town’s £21million transport interchange - which opened on Sunday, August 4 - bringing together a bus station and a new Metro station under the same roof.

A total of 15 jobs have been created by the new Greggs, with staff led by manager Joanne Wilson, who has worked with Greggs for fifteen years.

And Joanne was enjoying a double celebration on the big day, which also happened to be her birthday.

Roger Whiteside, chief executive at Greggs, said: “The North East is where Greggs started its journey, so we’re delighted to be opening our 2,000th shop in South Shields.

“As shopping habits and work locations continue to evolve, our expansion plans are reflecting this, we are now opening drive-thru sites, industrial parks, travel hubs and service stations, so its no surprise that our 2000th shop opening reflects this evolution.

“Our shops have changed a lot over the past 80 years, as we’ve upgraded our estate to offer a more contemporary food-on-the-go experience, but we still remain true to our values today and are proud to serve over six million customers per week.”

Greggs has come a long way since its first shop 80 years ago on Gosforth High Street, Newcastle, which is still there today.

Founder John Gregg started out eight decades ago with the goal of delivering fresh eggs and yeast to Newcastle families on his pushbike.

Greggs now produces over 25 million products per week, making two million fresh sandwiches each day.

It sells 1.5 million sausage rolls per week and now employs 22,000 people.