Costa to reopen 1,100 sites by July

Costa Coffee has announced that at least 1,100 of its stores will reopen across the UK by the end of June. 

The group said the move marks a “huge milestone” in the brand’s reopening plans, with more locations becoming available for takeaway or drive-thrus. 

Heightened safety measures will be implemented across all reopening sites, with each store equipped with protective equipment and hand sanitiser stations.

Perspex screens have been installed at all counters across take-away stores, with designated pick-up points for delivery and mobile order collections. 

Both inside and outside stores will have two-metre floor signs to enforce social distancing, while contactless payment will continue to operate. 

With all drive-thru lanes now open across drive-thru sites, bespoke serving hatches have been designed so that customers can collect their order with no contact. 

The hatches lower items down to customer’s vehicles, and have a built-in acrylic hygiene screen.

Jill McDonald, CEO of Costa Coffee, said: “We’re delighted to be able to share the news that by the end of June 1,100 of our stores will re-open for take-away or delivery. 

“We have been overwhelmed by the positive feedback that we have received from our customers and are pleased to once again be able to serve them our signature, handcrafted coffee.”

She added: “Not only have we been working hard to re-open our stores, but our teams have also ensured that 8,400 Costa Express machines have been available to serve barista quality, machine crafted coffee to those in need of a fix.

“We have also continued to show our appreciation to key workers across the country and have successfully delivered over 861,000 ready-to-drink Costa Coffee cans and 1,200 coffee packs to those who deserve a well-earned coffee break.”