Costa Coffee opens 300th UK drive-thru amid £20m expansion

Costa Coffee has opened a new drive-thru in Peel Centre Retail Park, Sunderland, which marks the 300th drive-thru for the business and forms part of Costa’s £20m expansion strategy for its drive-thru format alone this year.

Costa Coffee and its franchise partners will invest in 60 new drive-thrus in 2022, creating over 1,000 jobs across the UK.

The company said it is on course to open 100 stores this year, and aims to be operating over 500 drive-thrus by 2025 to expand its reach around the country and create around 15 new jobs at each store.

Additionally, 1,000 Costa Express machines are also being installed in 2022, including a recently upgraded self-serve machine offering both hot and iced drinks.

The strategy also looks at expanding across a range of formats, including on high streets, retail parks, travel locations, and over 12,000 Costa Express self-serve machines.

Costa added that it expects to soon be utilising predictive ordering, voice-ordering and bespoke fast lanes to streamline its processes for consumers on the move.

Supporting the transition to a lower carbon economy, Costa Coffee is also installing electric vehicle charging ports at a number of its stores.

Adrian Cook, UK&I chief operating officer for Costa Coffee, said: “As we continue to invest and grow after the pandemic, it is the perfect moment to be celebrating the opening of our 300th drive-thru store. Alongside our franchise partners, we are proud to be investing in communities across the country and creating more than 1,000 new jobs this year.

“We know that drive-thrus continue to prove popular with consumers as the nation gets moving again. With over 10 years and 300 stores of experience under our belts, we look forward to continuing to delight coffee fans when they’re out and about across the UK.”