Coffee nation: The UK’s caffeine addiction revealed as coffee chains take over
Over-caffeinated Brits are fuelling a boom in coffee shops, according to new data from CBRE.
Over the past 17 years, there has been a massive 20-fold increase in coffee chain outlets, from just 215 in 1998 to 4,234 in 2015.
And the coffee shop trend shows no sign of abating, with an increase of six per cent in franchises between 2014 and 2015 alone.
“Not only has the coffee shop chain sector proved resilient over the years; it’s demonstrated remarkable growth,” said Seb Howard, head of London Leisure at CBRE.
“Consumers now demand convenience when they go out, and the ability to cater to this has been a huge springboard for this market.”
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The news coincides with the release of the latest ONS retail sales figures, which show that retail activity is up across the food and beverage sector.
This was supported by the CBRE analysis, which also found convenience foods are flourishing. In 1998, there were 1,492 restaurants and 2,671 fast food outlets or takeaways, but by 2015 this had risen to 4,354 and 8,755, respectively.
But despite all those coffees and burgers, we are actually getting healthier as a nation. Healthy eating choices have grown 20-fold since 2005, with juice and smoothie chains reaping the benefits. In 2005, there were just 10 smoothie chains in the UK, but by the end of 2015 there were 205.
Of course, this will come as no surprise to health-conscious Londoners who devoured five million avocados at Pret a Manger last year, bringing the chain store’s profits to £676.2m – a 7.5 per cent increase, year on year. Meanwhile, earlier this year, Costa Coffee owners Whitbread bought a 49 per cent stake in up-and-coming health food café Pure.
Time will tell whether our new-found love for healthy eating can compete with our addiction to sugary drinks and greasy snacks. Maybe it's just time we all switch to skinny cappuccinos…