Your weekly round-up of 5 essential coffee industry stories you won’t want to miss...
- JAB Holding sells remaining stake in US beverages group Keurig Dr Pepper
- Starbucks reportedly explores major stake sale in key international business
- Circle K steps up self-serve competition in Europe
- Seesaw becomes a high-profile casualty of China’s coffee shop price war
- Pret A Manger shelves less profitable ventures to focus on fundamentals
1. JAB Holding exits Keurig Dr Pepper as coffee focus fades
Having shifted its focus from coffee to insurance over the last few years, the Luxembourg-based private equity firm has drawn a curtain on a decade-long association with Texas-based KDP.
With hospitality brands now comprising less than 70% of its $34bn investment portfolio, could this stake sale kickstart a larger retreat from the segment for the Panera Bread and Pret A Manger backer?
2. Why Starbucks is reportedly exploring a $2.5bn stake sale of its successful Japanese business
Less than three months after selling a $4bn majority stake in its 8,000-store China business, the US coffee giant is reportedly seeking a similar deal in Japan.
The East Asian country is one of Starbucks’ largest and highest-performing international markets – presenting a very different dynamic than in China, where sales and outlet growth had stalled.
However, with ambitious international expansion plans underway, the reasons why the world’s largest coffee chain is pursuing such a set-up remain equally compelling.
3. Circle K steps up self-serve competition in Europe
Two months after investing in new premium coffee machines in the Baltics, petrol and convenience store giant Circle K has made another significant outlay in its self-serve coffee offer.
A new agreement with one of Europe’s largest coffee roasters sees Circle K replace its fragmented roaster and supply setup across the region with one sole supplier, with the deal covering 4,000 sites across 12 markets.
4. Seesaw becomes a high-profile casualty of China’s coffee shop price war
Once viewed as a domestic challenger to Starbucks, Seesaw has been teetering since China’s coffee shop price war began in 2023. Unfortunately, its wobble could now see it fall off the map entirely amid mass store closures and reports of multiple bankruptcy review cases.
5. Profitable Pret A Manger focuses on the fundamentals
After moving to streamline operations and assess its value proposition last year, the UK food-to-go and coffee chain has reported a positive trading update for the first four months of 2026.
CEO Pano Christou has said Pret remains “focused on the customer” after shelving some of its less profitable ventures over the last two years – including a significant overhaul of its Club Pret subscription model.
