Costa Coffee hits 400 UK wide drive-thru stores as it plans to open 40 more locations during 2026

Costa Coffee reports a milestone in its UK property strategy, opening its 400th drive-thru store (in Norwich) as the format plays a key role in the evolution of its retail estate. 

Costa Coffee lays claim to being the UK’s largest drive-thru coffee operator and plans to open up to 40 new such stores across the UK in 2026.

Nick Ridley, Property & Store Development Director at Costa Coffee, says: “Drive-thrus are one of the fastest-growing parts of our retail estate, and play an important role in meeting changing customer missions. For many customers it’s about convenience - grabbing a coffee on the commute, during the school run or while travelling.” 

Costa Coffee currently operates more than 2,800 stores in the UK, spanning high streets, retail parks, shopping centres, transport hubs and drive-thru locations. Over the past year, its has refurbished more than 110 high street locations and over 100 stores in shopping centres and retail parks. 

“Our coffee shops remain central to the Costa Coffee experience,” Ridley says. “Drive-thrus are not a replacement for the high street - they complement our wider estate by serving different moments in a customer’s day and helping us reach customers where they want us to be.”

The first UK drive-thru store opened in 2011. Data from Allegra indicates the number of drive-thru coffee sites in the UK has grown by 6.7% over the last 12 months, with nearly 50% of consumers ordering coffee from one in 2025, as operators back convenience led formats. A majority of Costa Coffee’s drive-thru sites are situated alongside a full coffee shop, providing flexibility for customers who want to sit in or take away.

“Developing drive-thru sites requires navigating a range of challenges, from securing suitable roadside locations to managing planning constraints, rising construction costs, and timelines which can often extend to several years,” says Ridley. “Competition for prime sites remains intense, with multiple operators targeting the same high quality locations, placing upward pressure on rents and increasing the importance of early site identification and strong partner relationships.” 

“Our network planning shows there are still strong opportunities for drive-thrus across the UK,” he adds. “We continue to actively seek new locations and work closely with partners to bring forward the right sites.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.