Global on-the-go coffee brand Costa Express renews UK contract with Shell
Tuesday 29th November 2016, LONDON – Today Costa Express, the UK’s largest and fastest growing on-the-go coffee brand, announces the renewal of its UK contract with Shell for a further five years.
The signing of this contract marks five years since the partnership began in 2011, shortly after Whitbread acquired Coffee Nation for £59.5 million. Following a rebrand of the 900 Coffee Nation machines, Costa Express has grown at significant pace, installing on average over 70 coffee bars every month. With a desire to drive category innovation, today Costa Express is the industry leader, operating over 6,000 machines globally.
As one of the first partners following the acquisition, Shell has enabled the Costa Express to grow rapidly and reach forecourt locations right across the UK, offering their customers access to great quality coffee on-the-go. In the UK, Costa Express has 740 coffee bars in 536 of Shell’s 1000 plus branded service stations, selling over 70 cups per day. Internationally, Costa Express and Shell operate in partnership across four markets: UK, Canada, Poland and Czech Republic, as well as operating a number of trials in other international markets
Murray McGowan, Managing Director at Costa Express, said, “We’re delighted to be extending our partnership with Shell, which was one of Costa Express’ first partners. The Costa Express brand perfectly complements the Shell forecourt model, supporting the brand in to providing its customers with a high quality and consistent offering and the best coffee on the go. We’re looking forward to growing our relationship with Shell, both in the UK and in our international markets over the coming years.”
Mike Hominick, Shell UK Retail, Marketing Manager said, “Shell service stations in the UK serve five million customers a week and our renewed relationship with Costa Coffeemeans customers can enjoy a fantastic cup of coffee when they visit. Coffee is now one of our most popular items. The relationship between Costa and Shell has already grown our sales to over 18 million cups a year and we are excited about our joint plans for further growth. Serving Costa coffee is one of the ways we are expanding the role our service stations in the lives of customers, offering great quality fresh food and coffee to customers who live their lives on the move.”
The Costa brand combined with the convenience of the new self-serve format has proved a winning combination and enabled the Costa brand to reach new customers through different channels. The brand is now in nine international markets and this month celebrated its fifth anniversary and the 6,000th machine milestone.
For more information, please contact:
Isabella Highett, Costa International and Costa Express Press Officer
+44 7824 081 791| isabella.highett@whitbread.com
About Costa Express
Costa Express is the UK’s leading self-serve coffee bar. Since its launch in 2011, it has demonstrated phenomenal growth and today boasts over 6,000 machines, serving over 80 million cups of coffee every year, across nine international markets. This puts Costa Express on track to deliver its target of 8,000 machines by 2020.
Costa Express is part of Costa Coffee, the UK’s favourite coffee shop chain with over 45 years of coffee making expertise. Costa Coffee operates over 3,000 coffee shops across 31 international markets. Just like in stores, Costa Express uses the Costa’s original Mocha Italia recipe roasted in Old Paradise Street, London, with our 100% Rainforest Alliance certified™ coffee remaining at the core of our quality coffee credentials. Our innovative self-serve coffee bars expertly combine high-quality coffee and fresh milk with leading technology, making it the quickest, easiest and most efficient way to ensure coffee lovers enjoy a delicious cup of barista-style Costa Coffee on the go.
Costa Express is committed to sustainable practise and in June 2016 attained the ISO 14001 International Standard. This standard demonstrates a systematic approach to environment management and a framework by which to implement and respond to changing environmental conditions.
Looking after coffee growers is extremely important to Costa, which is why we established The Costa Foundation, a registered charity with the aim to relieve poverty, advance education and the health and environment of coffee-growing communities around the world. So far, The Costa Foundation has funded the building of 56 schools and improved the social and economic welfare of coffee-growing communities.
