London, 2017-Sep-20 — /EPR Retail News/ — Costa Coffee are working in partnership with Cambridge Wireless (CW) and The Innovation Dividend to deliver a day-long Coffee Shop Ideation at the newly opened Bradfield Centre in Cambridge, UK. Supported by the technology community, companies are invited to pitch their innovative idea to an expert judging panel on Monday 25th September. Winners will have the opportunity to showcase their technology the following day to Costa execs for potential investment.
Costa Coffee are looking to embrace technology to elevate the customer experience. They are exploring what the world’s most technologically enabled Coffee Shop might look like in 2025, and how those futuristic shops can facilitate meaningful connections over great coffee.
CW (Cambridge Wireless) have been appointed by Costa to bring this ambition to fruition via a one-day ‘Coffee Shop of the Future Ideation”’ supported by a plethora of technology companies across the Cambridge-London technology corridor.
Jon Bradford, Director of the Bradfield Centre said; “Naturally, Cambridge is the perfect fit for this Coffee Shop of the Future Ideation; it already has a strong base of renowned technology pioneers as well as being an entrepreneurial hub for startups with easy connections to London”.
Technology companies have until noon on Wednesday 20th September to submit their disruptive idea. Shortlisted applications will be invited to the Bradfield Centre on Monday 25th September where they will receive tailored support from the technology community and mentors to help refine their pitches.
Three successful companies will be invited to pitch to Costa Coffee executives in the finals on 26th September at Costa Coffee’s London headquarters in Holborn.
Mags Dixon who heads up the marketing for Costa in International Markets says, “At Costa we are committed to inviting customers to discover great coffee and we are keen to explore ways that technologies help enhance this experience. It seems that successful brands are always evolving and looking to understand what customers will need in the future.”
If you have a vision for the Costa Coffee store of the future which encompasses technology and savvy innovation, please enter here.
Founded in London by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa in 1971, our quality coffee was the premium choice for boutique hotels and restaurants across the city. Today we continue to roast the original Mocha Italia recipe in Old Paradise Street, London with our 100% Rainforest Alliance certified coffee remaining at the core of our quality coffee credentials.
With over 2,000 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1,240 in 31 overseas markets, we are the fastest growing coffee shop business in the UK. We’re proud to be 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).
Our people are the heart of our business and we employ over 30,000 people worldwide, with a target of 5,000 new jobs in the UK by 2020. Last year, we increased Barista pay by c.10%. Our Pay for progression model was introduced in October 2015, and our training rate of £7.20 was launched well ahead of National Living Wage.
As a popular, mainstream food and beverage brand, we can make a positive contribution towards customer health and wellbeing by investing in safe sourcing, new product development and consumer education. Health and wellbeing remains a strategic business focus area and we will continue to evolve our product offer over the coming years. We are working to reduce added sugar in our drinks by 25% by 2020 and will reduce salt in our sandwich range by a further 5% by 2017.
We care about the communities we operate in with our store teams volunteering over 10,000 hours of their time to lend support to over 900 local community projects.
Looking after coffee growers is extremely important to us, which is why we established The Costa Foundation, a registered charity with the aim 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 53 schools and improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
Source: Costa Coffee