If you’re noticing more coffee shops around town – you’re not going crazy. Experts actually predict that there will be a 40% rise in the number of outlet coffee shops by 2020. At the moment, there are close to 19,000 cafes, close to triple the amount that existed in 2010 at 7000. Property specialist CBRE has been backing the movement, as they said “Britain has well and truly adopted a cafe culture with the number of outlets rising twentyfold since 1998.” Almost 2 billions cups of coffee are purchased from UK cafes a year and many independent outlets are actually keeping up with the giants like Starbucks and Costa.
As Analyst Frances Perrin said, “We have seen the hunted become hunters with the emergence of a new stronger independent sector challenging big brands for market share.”
At the moment, there are about 1400 independent coffee shops in the UK and this number is expected to double by 2020.