Costa Coffee scales drive-thru footprint to 400 locations

The chain aims to open up to 40 drive-thrus in 2026.

Costa Coffee has opened its 400th drive-thru site, with the latest location at Norwich Broadway Enterprise Park.

The company is continuing to expand its drive-thru network as it focuses on grab-and-go formats, which have remained competitive despite a difficult market.

It plans to open as many as 40 additional drive-thru locations across the UK in 2026.

The business is also refurbishing existing stores. Over the past year, it has upgraded more than 110 high street sites and over 100 locations in shopping centres and retail parks.

Costa Coffee operates more than 2,800 outlets nationwide, including high street stores, retail park and shopping centre sites, transport hubs, and drive-thru locations.

The chain launched its first UK drive-thru in 2011 and has since expanded steadily in this format.

According to Allegra, the number of drive-thru coffee outlets in the UK has risen by 6.7% in the past year, with close to half of consumers expected to use them in 2025, reflecting growing demand for convenience.