Costa Coffee outlets now outnumber McDonald’s restaurants
Costa Coffee has stolen a march on its High Street neighbour McDonald’s after the coffee chain reported it had over taken the fast food restaurant to become the third largest food and drink chain in the UK by number of branches.
Costa revealed they now have 1295 UK coffee shops - 95 more than their burger compatriots, following a recent expansion drive.
The coffee house’s growth comes as Briton’s acquire a growing taste for caffeine but they still have a way to go to catch Greggs and Subway –they boast 1526 and 1500 outlets respectively.
Whitbread Boss Andy Harrison believes there is still room for improvement however and plans to open a further 500 Costas.
Harrison said: “Most people won’t walk more than 100 yards to get to a coffee shop and there are many parts of the UK where people don’t have access to coffee. That’s why we think we can grow in the UK, perhaps by another 50 per cent.”