WATCH: From phone business to coffee giant – how Grind carved out a niche Video As retail coffee prices rise and consumer spend declines, the UK’s coffee industry has never been more competitive. US tariffs on coffee-producing countries, hedge fund speculation on commodity prices and increases in business taxes have created a challenging environment. So how has one independent, South London producer managed to beat the odds and find its [...]
Investec awards East London coffee enterprise Well Grounded £60k grant Hospitality Financial giant Investec has awarded £60,000 to social enterprise Well Grounded, which plans to create 10,000 career opportunities in the coffee sector in the coming decade. Well Grounded, based in East London, runs speciality coffee training programmes for jobseekers and has placed over 1,000 Brits into the industry so far. Unemployment rose to its highest rate in [...]
Coffee and sugar drive surging food inflation Economics Sharp increases in the cost of coffee and sugar are behind the high rate of food inflation which is one of the drivers of the surprise inflation rise. The cost of food increased at a rate of 4.5 per cent in the year to December, overshooting the overall inflation rate of 3.4 per cent by [...]
Green is good: How has Blank Street taken over London? October 3, 2025 Given the ubiquity of Blank Street’s pastel green branding across the capital, it is almost surprising to think the New York-based company only opened its first London shop in the summer of 2022. In fact, it only opened its very first shop in Williamsburg in 2021, after spending nearly a year housed in a Brooklyn [...]
Lavazza: Profit doubles amid ‘unprecedented’ price rises September 22, 2025 Profit at coffee brand Lavazza doubled in the UK during its latest financial year as it battled “intense pressure” on its supply chain and “unprecedented” price rises. The Uxbridge-headquartered division has posted a pre-tax profit of £3.2m for 2024, up from the £1.5m it achieved in 2023. New accounts filed with Companies House also show [...]
Pret A Manger ‘being punished for focusing on UK’ September 15, 2025 Pret A Manger is being punished for focusing on the UK and this is a “disaster for domestic growth”, according to the chief executive of drinking chocolate chain Knoops. Writing on LinkedIn, William Gordon-Harris said “the sad fact is for UK domestic growth is that so many UK founded businesses focus their growth after launch [...]
Nespresso cuts over 200 UK jobs amid store closures September 2, 2025 The UK arm of coffee giant Nespresso shed more than 200 jobs as it shut locations across the country in 2024, it has been confirmed. The business reduced its headcount from 716 to 499 during its latest financial year as it closed 11 of its sites. In new accounts filed with Companies House for 2024, [...]
Starbucks: UK’s largest franchise more than doubles profit ahead of takeover April 28, 2025 Sales jumped towards £100m and profit more than doubled at the UK’s largest Starbucks franchise in the year before the US coffee chain took it over, it has been revealed. 23.5 Degrees has reported a turnover of £93m for the 12 months to 31 August, 2024, up from the £83.5m it achieved in the prior [...]
Gary Neville signs deal with cult London coffee brand Grind March 10, 2025 Cult coffee brand Grind is to open its first base outside London after signing a deal with Gary Neville to take space at his landmark city centre development in Manchester. Grind has agreed to take over 3,000 sq ft at No.1 St Michael’s scheme which is being led by Neville’s Relentless Developments. Grind joins the [...]
Coca-Cola HBC: Growth continues despite headwinds February 13, 2025 The bottling partner of Coca-Cola has reported double-digit revenue growth despite significant exchange rate headwinds in emerging markets. Coca-Cola HBC AG, the bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company, said volumes grew 2.8 per cent in the twelve months ended 31 December 2024, driven by higher sales for coffee and energy drinks. The reported revenue of [...]