Caffè Nero sees global sales rise 12% in Q4

Caffè Nero has reported a 12% rise in global sales in the final quarter of its financial year, with growth in the UK boosted by demand for iced drinks. 

The coffee chain said like-for-like sales across the group increased 6% in the three months to 31 May. In the UK, sales rose 8% year-on-year, with like-for-like growth of 5%.

The company also revealed that its summer iced drinks menu was a “key driver” of UK performance, with sales of iced drinks up 56% on the previous year. Caffè Nero sold 514,000 units of its new vanilla iced matcha and strawberry iced matcha during the quarter.

Other products including the cinnamon bun, which has sold 900,000 units since launch, and the maritozzi bun, with 600,000 units sold, also contributed to sales. 

In addition, Caffè Nero’s customer numbers in the UK grew 3% compared with the previous year.

The group opened 20 stores in the quarter, taking the total to 94 new stores in the financial year, including acquisitions of 200 Degrees and FCB. 

Caffè Nero now operates 1,140 outlets across 11 countries, employing 11,000 staff and serving more than 155 million customers a year. Around 95% of its stores are company-owned.

Gerry Ford, founder and group chief executive of Caffè Nero, said: “We have a different model than most other companies in our sector. We are an independent, home-grown start-up focused 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.”