Amid a tough trading environment on UK high streets, retailers and hospitality operators are increasingly deploying high-quality coffee offers to drive much-needed footfall, boost sales and foster brand loyalty. Michael Lyons speaks to the brands taking a leaf out of the café playbook – and generating new business opportunities among caffeine-obsessed consumers
Coffee shops have been one of the key success stories on UK high streets over the last two decades. With more than 10,100 outlets and generating annual sales of more than £5.3bn ($6.7bn) the UK branded coffee chain segment has achieved over 20 years of outlet growth – only briefly interrupted by the pandemic.
However, the wider UK high street has faced decline amid weakened demand for in-person retail driven by a boom in online sales and a tough property market. In 2009, the bombshell collapse of Woolworths, which had traded in the UK for a century, underlined a worrying trend for traditional retail chains struggling to adapt to new trading realities on the high street.
