Cafes and Coffee Shops
The Cafes and Coffee Shops section on Catering Today explores the trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the UK’s vibrant café and coffee sector. Covering independent operators, branded chains, and suppliers, it reports on store openings, menu innovation, sustainability initiatives, and shifts in consumer behaviour. With insights into operations, staffing, and technology, Catering Today provides hospitality professionals with up-to-date intelligence on the business strategies and market forces driving success in coffee-led hospitality.
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Jan- 2025 -22 January
Knoops welcomes Lush co-founder to board amid sales uplift
Knoops has appointed Lush co-founder Andrew Gerrie to the board as it recorded a 22% increase in like-for-like sales for the five weeks ended 29 December 2024. The company’s revenue growth of 79% YTD is on track to deliver the business plan for the year ending March 2025 with annual…
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20 January
Caffè Nero sales rise ‘record’ 14% over Xmas period
Caffè Nero has reported a sales rise of 14% for the five-week Christmas period in the UK, as the coffee house chain had two “record” sales weeks and its highest ever single day of trading. It comes as Caffè Nero sites across the UK saw like-for-like sales rise 9% compared…
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Dec- 2024 -20 December
New Cornish Bakery site sees ‘record’ trading in opening week
Cornish Bakery’s 65th opening in Milton Keynes has “surpassed all expectations”, taking a record-breaking £40k within its first week of trading. It comes as the new bakery opened to “unprecedented” demand, causing a queue of people to block the main flow of the shopping centre. Both the centre:mk and Cornish…
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19 December
Blanchflower to open new site in Trafford Centre
Local independent brand Blanchflower will open a new café focusing on coffee and baked goods, next February in a 400 sq ft location in Trafford Centre. Founded by Phil and Claire Howells, Blanchflower is a family-business with sites in Sale and Altrincham, and will open its third location at Trafford…
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16 December
Joe and the Juice to return to Manchester Arndale
Joe and the Juice has announced its return to the centre of Manchester, having signed a 10-year lease for a new 2,685 sq ft space at Manchester Arndale. The juice and coffee chain previously had a site in Debenhams, which had to close following the collapse of the department store…
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13 December
McWin Capital in talks to acquire Gail’s
London-based investment firm McWin Capital Partners is reportedly in talks to acquire bakery-café chain Gail’s from parent company, Bread Holdings, according to Bloomberg. It comes as McWin Capital owners, Henry McGovern and Steven Winegar, already hold shares in Gail’s via their EBITDA Investment business, which partnered with Bain Capital Credit,…
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11 December
Bold Street Coffee launches first-ever coffee subscription service
Bold Street Coffee has announced the launch of its first-ever coffee subscription service. Subscribers to the service can choose their preferred delivery frequency: weekly, fortnightly, or monthly. They can also personalise things such as grind size, roast profile and quantity. This news follows the company’s successful opening of its fifth…
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9 December
Caffè Nero bolsters Waitrose and John Lewis partnership
The Nero Group, the family-owned operator of Caffè Nero, has secured new partnerships with Waitrose and John Lewis, which will see the coffee chain open sites in five Waitrose stores. The partnership will also see the opening of the first Caffè Nero in a John Lewis store in White City,…
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6 December
Esquires Coffee to expand presence in Ireland amid Dairygold deal
International café chain Cooks Coffee has entered into an agreement with Dairygold, which will see it operate and manage four of its Esquires-branded cafés within Dairygold-owned Co-op Superstores in Ireland. The contract, which is for an initial period of 10 years effective immediately, is for cafés located in Middleton, Carrigaline…
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4 December
Costa Coffee and Freemans bring kiosk concept to London
A fleet of Costa Coffee kiosks are set to hit some of the UK’s biggest live events next year, as part of a deal between the company and Freemans Event Partners. The move builds on the success of the collaboration between Freemans Event Partners and Costa Coffee during the Summer’s…
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