Caffè Nero global sales rise 11% in Q3

Coffee house chain Caffè Nero has seen an 11% rise in sales across the world, with a 5.5% uplift in like-for-like sales recorded during the third quarter to 28 February. 

In the UK, total sales growth was 8% in the third quarter and like-for-like sales were up 6.2% against the same quarter last year. 

Sales for The Nero Group across its 11 trading markets throughout the first three quarters rose by 12.6% compared with last year, and increased by 10.2% just for the Caffè Nero UK business in comparison to last year. 

Building on its strong first half-year turnout, Caffè Nero has attributed its third quarter performance in the UK to an “impressive” Christmas period after serving over two million customers during December. This meant that sales jumped by 14% when compared to the prior year.  

During the Christmas period, Caffè Nero UK also had two record sales weeks of over £9m and the highest ever single day sales at £1.5m.

The group opened 15 new stores throughout the third quarter, taking the total new stores operating at group level during the financial year to date to 74 – including its first store in Saudi Arabia. 

In the UK, Caffè Nero opened a further four new stores in the third quarter, increasing the total number of new openings this financial year in the UK to date to 15. 

As a result, at the end of February The Nero Group operated 1,121 stores across 11 countries with 11,000 employees, serving over 155 million customers a year. In all, 94% of all of the group’s stores are company-owned. 

Gerry Ford, founder and CEO of The Nero Group, said: “We have a different model than most other companies in our sector. We are an independent, home-grown start-up focussed on the premium end of the coffee market that now has scale. We own our stores and have built our business with strong foundations over many years. I think this is paying off as we continue to grow our brands across the world.”

Ford also announced that Will Stratton-Morris, the UK chief executive for Caffè Nero, has stepped down from his role and from the board as of the end of May to take up a new role as chief business development officer in time for FY26. 

This means that the Caffè Nero business in the UK will be led by Ford, along with CFO Ben Price and UK managing director Glyn House. 

The process to appoint a new CEO for the UK Caffè Nero business is well underway, and an appointment will be made in the months ahead.