Costa
Coverage focuses on the strategy, performance, and innovation of the UK’s largest branded coffee chain, now owned by The Coca-Cola Company. Reporting includes new store formats in drive-thru, travel, and convenience retail, expansion of the Costa Express vending network, seasonal product campaigns, and digital loyalty developments via the Costa Club app. Insight also covers sustainability goals, plant-based menu additions, and international growth, offering operators a clear view of branded beverage trends and scalable customer engagement strategies.
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Oct- 2018 -23 OctoberAnalysis
Forget Luke Johnson: the biggest loser in the Patisserie Valerie fallout is the brand itself
Since the revelation last week that Patisserie Valerie had uncovered a multimillion pound blackhole in its accounts, British entrepreneur Luke Johnson has been made to eat his extensive and well-documented words on the financial arrears of others. It can’t have been an enjoyable experience, but it all makes for a great story. There are very…
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3 OctoberCafes and Coffee Shops
Costa advert banned for ‘avocado criticism’
Costa has seen an advert banned after it suggested an avocado was a “poor breakfast choice” adding that those who wanted a decent breakfast should have a bacon roll or egg muffin from Costa. The radio advert announced that avocados would be “hard as rock for the first 18 days,…
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Aug- 2018 -31 AugustCafes and Coffee Shops
Coca-Cola to acquire Costa Coffee from Whitbread for £3.9bn
Coca-Cola is to buy the coffee chain Costa from Whitbread in a £3.9bn deal. Whitbread, which acquired the brand in 1995 for £19m when it had only 39 outlets, had intended to spin off the chain as a separate business but the transaction was unanimously agreed by the Whitbread board…
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Jul- 2018 -13 JulyFeatures
Is coffee cupping the new wine tasting?
Whilst millennials have been branded as the typical target market for speciality coffee, there is a growing need to focus on the younger Generation Z and what makes them tick. With Gen Z consumers drinking less alcohol than their older generations, wine tasting events could become a thing of the…
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6 JulyBusiness
Whitbread to cut 250 management jobs in restaurant business
Whitbread is set to cull 250 management roles from its restaurants business in a bid to make the company more “efficient and effective”. It is understood that the decision has not been prompted by the company’s decision to demerge from Costa, which was announced in April. The decision to make…
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3 JulyApps & Technology
Personal information of job applicants leaked in Costa Coffee data breach
The parent company of Costa Coffee, Whitbread, has been the subject of a data breach which has seen personal information of job candidates exposed. A cyber attack was carried out on Whitbread’s recruitment agency, PageUp, potentially leaving data including home address, email address, telephone number, maiden name, date of birth,…
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Jun- 2018 -27 JuneCafes and Coffee Shops
Costa Coffee sales dip 2% in Q1
Coffee chain Costa has reported a fall in like-for-like sales at the start of the year, blaming a lack of shoppers on the high street. Although total UK sales grew by 5.2% due to new store openings, according to Costa owner Whitbread, the UK’s biggest coffee chain revealed a 2%…
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May- 2018 -25 MayBusiness
Private equity firms flirting with Costa Coffee
A group of private equity firms are attempting to purchase Costa Coffee, despite owner Whitbread’s desire to float it on the stock market. The Press Association said that it understood Whitbread had been approached informally over a buyout of the firm. Despite potential interest from elsewhere Whitbread is continuing plans…
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4 MayFeatures
What’s so special about specialty coffee?
Take a walk along your nearest high street and alongside the usual suspects, the ubiquitous major coffee chains, you will almost certainly also find a ‘specialty coffee’ shop. Go back to the turn of the millenium and, outside of London, specialty coffee shops were few and far between. Specialty roasters…
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Apr- 2018 -25 AprilCafes and Coffee Shops
Whitbread to split Costa Coffee off into separate firm
Whitbread has announced that it will spin off the Costa Coffee brand into a separate business of its own as investors pressurised the company to do so. The split is expected to happen within two years and will allow shareholders to invest in “two distinct, focused and market-leading businesses” and…
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