SOFT DATA
The second largest coffeehouse in the world (behind Starbucks) with 304 outlets in China. Consistently voted the favourite coffee shop in the UK, Costa took the Chinese market by storm in 2006 and has been enjoying the growth of the coffee shop culture in China with a goal of 700 coffee shops by 2022. Costa has adopted a localisation strategy in China, focusing on sweeter, milkier beverages with regionally adapted offerings even receiving feedback that there is a slightly different flavour between Shanghai and Beijing.
CEO Whitbread, from the parent company of Costa Coffee and the British hotel and restaurant catering giant Premier Inn, announced that it will acquire a 49% stake in the coffee chain in the South China joint venture at a transaction price of RMB 310 million.
