Costa helps Whitbread make ‘good start’ to year
Whitbread has reported a 1.1% increase in like-for-like sales at Costa in its first quarter as the coffee shop chain benefited from a strong performance in its travel and ‘drive thru’ channels.
Total sales climbed by 8.7% in the 13 weeks to 1 June.
The results meant that total sales rose by 7.6% across the wider Whitbread business which includes the Premier Inn hotel chain.
Whitbread said Costa has been focused on rolling out ‘Cold Brew’ coffee drinks in over 200 of its stores, and also introduced its new breakfast range towards the end of the quarter.
Costa Express continued its expansion with 300 net installations during the period. The company said it is on track to open 230-250 Costa coffee shops and install around 1,250 Costa Express machines this year.
Commenting on the results, Whitbread’s chief executive Alison Brittain said: “We have had a good start to the year, with first quarter sales growth of 7.6%, in line with our expectations. Our continued drive to grow and innovate in our core UK businesses, focus on our strengths internationally and build capabilities to support long-term growth, combined with our ongoing cost efficiency programme, gives us confidence that we will make further good progress this year.”
