Coffee shops to overtake pubs by 2030: New research commissioned on behalf of The London Coffee Festival has found 3.3 new coffee shops opening daily across the nation. This growth sees the coffee shop industry pouring £9.6bn into the UK economy, an increase of 7.3% since 2017. At this current rate, estimates put the number of coffee shops over-taking pubs by 2030. There are now around 24,000 coffee shops across the UK, a combination of non-specialists, independents, and major chains such as Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero. 1,215 stores opened in the last year alone. The big three chains contribute 19% of the total coffee shop sales. Brits drink 2.4 billion cups of coffee per year in coffee shops – up 4% from 2.3 billion in 2017. The data also shows 39% of Brits stated their coffee consumption has increased over the past 12 months, with 18% of people visiting at least once a day. The London Coffee Festival was set up in 2011 and has grown to become the largest celebration of coffee culture in Europe, welcoming over 25,000 people through the doors over four days in April. The four-day festival includes coffee roasters, suppliers, musicians, bakers, cocktail mixologists, latte artists, chefs and baristas, all coming together to celebrate the UK’s thriving coffee scene, the most advanced in Europe. This year’s festival runs 12-15 April at the Old Truman Brewery off London’s Brick Lane. Jeffrey Young, founder of The London Coffee Festival, said: “Even in the face of market uncertainty with Brexit, the UK’s love affair with coffee shows no signs of stopping. For the industry to be contributing almost £10bn per year to the economy is an incredible achievement and shows how coffee has come to be the go-to drink for Brits and how advanced coffee-shop culture has become. The London Coffee Festival is a celebration of coffee culture and an industry that is so important to the nation both financially and culturally. We welcome people from all over the world to the event and the buzz you feel as you walk through the door is testament to the passion for coffee that has grown in this country.” The stats were taken from the UK Coffee Report, created by The London Coffee Festival.

Meatailer reports turnover growth, increased losses: MeatLiquor operator Meatailer, led by Scott Collins, has reported turnover grew to £13,395,000 in the year to 25 June 2017, up from £11,163,000 the year before. The company opened two sites and one delivery kitchen. It also incorporated a new subsidiary, MeatLiquor QW, which traded at the Queens ice rink and bowling alley in West London. The group earned Ebitda of £703,000 (2016: £842,000) and had a loss after tax of £713,000 (2016: £426,000). Since the year-end, the group opened in Kings Cross, London. The company added: “Trade continues to grow at this new restaurant. Since the year-end, the group closed its restaurant in Bristol and also its delivery only kitchen after a short trial. The Bristol property was sold in February 2018. The group also converted its ChickenLiquor restaurant in Brixton to MeatLiquor which has been well-received by our local customers.” Pre-opening costs were £212,000 and the company had a £623,000 impairment.