Why Coca-Cola’s acquisition of Costa makes sense from a consumer perspective September 5, 2018 News of Costa’s sale to Coca-Cola dominated consumer headlines last week, as the fizzy drinks megabrand purchased the UK-based coffee chain for £3.9bn. Whitbread’s shares jumped more than 16 per cent following the news. Alison Brittain, the chief executive of Whitbread – Costa Coffee’s parent company – said the price paid by Coca-Cola was far [...]
Pret a Manger unveils £100m sales growth as coffee war heats up September 4, 2018 Sales at Pret a Manger grew by more than £100m in 2017 as the chain expanded globally and opened its 500th shop. Revenue soared by 13.2 per cent to £878.5m, driven by expansion into 58 new stores as well as strong like-for-like growth of 3.2 per cent. Read more: Coca-Cola moves for Costa coffee brand in £4bn [...]
Here’s how you can get a free iced coffee this week June 26, 2018 Pret a Manger is giving out free iced coffees this Friday to celebrate its new summer menu. Iced coffee is available from today at over 200 Pret branches, including most of its City locations. On Friday 29 June, staff will spend an hour giving away the cold drink for free. But there's a catch. Pret [...]
A class of their own: The head of Redington is on a mission to stop money from being a taboo subject June 18, 2018 "Let's play a game,” says Rob Gardner, opening up his bag of tricks. A jumble of colourful building blocks spill out onto the table in front of me. He tells me to make as many towers as I want, as high as I want. “I can’t believe I’m being paid to do this,” I [...]
The City’s Pret employees celebrate £1,000 bonus after JAB Holdings takeover May 29, 2018 Pret A Manger employees in the City today celebrated news that they would be receiving a £1,000 bonus after the company announced it will be acquired by German conglomerate JAB Holdings. “I only just heard,” said Mohamed Naim, 19, who works at a store on Fenchurch Street. “I still can’t believe it. It’s a bit [...]
Smell the coffee: Pret A Manger sold after 10 years with Bridgepoint May 29, 2018 Sandwich chain Pret A Manger has been sold by its private equity owners for an undisclosed sum, with reports suggesting it could be as much as £1.5bn. JAB Holdings has snapped up the ubiquitous cafe from its owners Bridgepoint, who have been looking to offload it for some months. JAB is acquiring its stake in [...]
Smell the coffee: Pret A Manger sold after 10 years with Bridgepoint May 29, 2018 Sandwich chain Pret A Manger has been sold by its private equity owners for an undisclosed sum, with reports suggesting it could be as much as £1.5bn JAB Holdings has snapped up the ubiquitous cafe from its owners Bridgepoint, who have been looking to offload it for some months. JAB is acquiring its stake in [...]
UK top pubs, restaurants and cafes ranked: Costa, Greggs and Wetherspoon top consumer opinion poll of high street brands with the best reputation April 20, 2018 Public perception is rising for a clutch of major high street food and drink brands, a new report has revealed. Costa, Greggs and JD Wetherspoon have gained the most momentum when it comes to consumer attitudes, data research company CGA said. The report ranks operators by how fast they are building their brand awareness, positive [...]
Pret a Manger to give away 300,000 coffees in London and the rest of the UK March 19, 2018 Pret a Manger may already be known for giving out the occasional free coffee to a stressed out commuter, but this week will see the chain hand over 300,000 tokens for free drinks. However, Pret is encouraging customers to pass the tokens on to someone else, in an effort to spread a little joy. “We [...]
Top of the food chain: Meet the company helping street-food vendors become the next big thing February 8, 2018 Londoners have a growing obsession with good food. Our European cousins may have scoffed at British cuisine in the past, but a change has taken place over recent years. The multicultural nature of our city means we have been flooded with influences from all around the world, and we now boast an entire smorgasbord [...]