Italy’s Lavazza poised to give UK high streets a caffeine boost
ITALIAN coffee brand Lavazza is taking on the likes of Starbucks, Cafe Nero and Costa with plans to open up 400 shops across the UK over the next 10 years.
Property agents Cushman & Wakefield said yesterday it has been hired by Lavazza to advise on the roll-out of its new coffee shops, called Lavazza Espression.
The coffee giant currently has a concession in Harrods and one standalone shop in Manchester’s Trafford shopping centre, which opened in November. It plans to open 50 stores in the London area in the next three years, with the first two due to launch on Villiers Street near Embankment in April and on Cannon Street in June.
According to recent research by Opinium, Britons spend £6.34bn a year on takeaway coffee from high street cafes, with 16.1m people buying at least one shop-brewed drink each week.
Costa Coffee, owned by FTSE 100 firm Whitbread, is the largest coffee chain in the UK, with 1,375 shops as well as vending machines.