LONDON, 2015-12-18 — /EPR Retail News/ — For the sixth year running, Costa has been named the Nation’s Favourite Coffee Shop by industry experts Allegra as the results for their annual Project Café16 report were released today. No other coffee shop has held on to the accolade for this long since the report’s creation twelve years ago.
Project Cafe16 UK highlights that the UK coffee shop market grew by 10% in 2015, with the sector being worth £7.9 billion in the UK. The coffee market segment continues to be one of the most successful in the UK economy and has established itself as a key driver of UK high street growth.
The report highlights that the UK is a nation of coffee drinkers with 16% of coffee shop visitors frequenting a coffee shop at least once a day in 2015 compared with 14% in 2014. Coffee shop visitors drink an estimated 2.2 billion cups of coffee per year in coffee shops.
The accolade follows an incredible year for Costa as they continued to listen to customer feedback, trialling new store formats including Fresco, their food-led concept store located on Tottenham Court Road, their prestigious Barista of the Year competition celebrating its tenth year and their Costa Foundation charity opening its fiftieth school in Ethiopia, educating children in coffee growing communities across the World.
Christopher Rogers, Managing Director at Costa commented: “We are incredibly proud to have been voted the Nation’s Favourite Coffee Shop for the sixth consecutive year, and I would like to personally thank all of our loyal customers across the UK who voted for us.
“This accolade is testament to the fantastic work and incomparable passion of our store teams and we wouldn’t be voted the nation’s favourite coffee shop without their dedication and support. We continue to listen to our customers, act on their feedback and provide them with irresistible coffee in warm and welcoming environments across the UK.”
Costa continues to invest in its store estate and employee skills and training programmes to develop stores that serve the communities in which they operate. Never complacent, the brand continues to seek ways to build upon the customer experience with product innovations, ongoing store refurbishments and a promise to deliver irresistible coffee to customers.
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Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, Costa is the UK’s favourite coffee shop, having been awarded “Best Branded Coffee Shop Chain in the UK and Ireland” by Allegra Strategies for six years running (2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 & December 2015).
With over 2,000 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,880 shops in 30 overseas markets, Costa has diversified into both the at-home and gourmet self-serve markets. There are now more than 4,275 Costa Express self-serve machines in the UK.
In the UK Costa employs over 16,000 people and creates around 1,500 jobs each year.
Costa is committed to looking after coffee-growers. That’s why we’ve established The Costa Foundation, a registered charity. The Costa Foundation’s aims are to relieve poverty, advance education and the health and environment of coffee-growing communities around the world. So far, The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 46 schools and improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
Media enquiries for Costa Coffee
Kate Clarke
Costa PR Manager, UK & Ireland
Contact with any press enquiries regarding Costa within the UK & Ireland.
Stacie Wood
PR Executive
Contact for any press enquiries regarding Costa within the UK & Ireland – specifically new store openings; community stories & events, and general press queries.
Melissa Greenwood
PR Manager – Costa International & Costa Express
Contact for any international press enquires outside of the UK & Ireland & media enquires for Costa Express
SOURCE: COSTA