Costa total sales rise 13.8%
Whitbread PLC reported its trading performance to 26 November 2015 for the year ending 3 March 2016.
According to the report, Costa sales for the 13 weeks to 26 November grew 13.8% from last year, while like for like sales grew 2.5%.
Alison Brittain, Chief Executive of Whitbread, said: “I am delighted to have joined Whitbread as CEO. This is a great business with a strong leadership team and 48,500 team members who are passionate about delivering outstanding customer service."
"In Costa and Premier Inn we have built the nation’s most loved coffee shop and hotel brands and we have laid out clear and ambitious growth milestones. I am looking forward to building on the foundations of the business by investing in our people, our network and our infrastructure to enhance our customer offer, further strengthen our brands and deliver profitable growth."
Costa grew its worldwide total sales by 15.3% and like for like UK sales by 3.7% for the 39 weeks to November. The brand also grew worldwide system sales by 14.1% to £1,165 million (14.3% at constant currency). Within this, franchise system sales grew by 11.3% to £443 million.
Throughout the year, there were 69 net new Costa UK stores, including the opening of the brand's 2,000th UK store.
Costa Enterprises (including Costa Express UK & International) delivered system sales of £294 million, up 14.0%. International system sales grew by 11.9% to £236 million (13.0% at constant currency). 37 net new stores were opened in the period with 25 in EMEI and 12 in Asia.
In the year the brand said that it plans to open around 200 net new stores worldwide and install over 800 net Costa Express machines.
