For a record-breaking 16th consecutive year, Costa Coffee has been named the Nation’s Favourite Coffee Shop, following a nationwide vote of more than 5,000 UK coffee drinkers.
The question ‘What is your favourite branded coffee shop chain?’ was asked of Allegra’s independent panel of 5,062 UK coffee shop consumers, with 51.7% of those citing Costa Coffee as their answer. The survey was conducted as part of Allegra’s annual study of the UK branded coffee shop market, Project Café UK 2026.
Costa Coffee operates more than 2,700 stores nationwide, making it the UK’s largest coffee-focused brand.Over the past year, it has continued to invest millions of pounds in its stores and travel locations, opening over 100 new outlets and refurbishing more than 400. In addition to its coffee shops, the Costa Coffee brand can be seen at forecourts up and down the UK as it has 15,800-plus coffee machines in the UK and Ireland.
Nick Orrin, managing director UK & Ireland at Costa Coffee, said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised by our customers as the Nation’s Favourite Coffee Shop for the 16th year in a row – and have increased our favourability by 5% year-on-year. For more than 50 years, we’ve led coffee innovation at scale, driven by our vision to make crafted, premium coffee more accessible. We’re committed to putting extra care into our coffee and investing in our baristas pay and training – turning routines into rituals and serving coffee with heart to all our communities. This award is a true celebration of our baristas, partners, suppliers and the millions of customers who visit us every day.”
Jeffrey Young, chief executive and founder of Allegra Group, said: “Being named the Nation’s Favourite Coffee shop for 16 consecutive years is an extraordinary achievement. It reflects Costa Coffee’s continued dedication to quality, innovation and hospitality. With thousands of stores across the UK, Costa Coffee brings people together every day, delivering barista-crafted coffee to millions of customers while investing in the communities they source from and operate in.”
