Costa Coffee: launches in Canada with 150 Costa Express coffee bars in collaboration with Shell

Dunstable / UK. (wbp) Costa Coffee, Europe’s largest coffee shop chain and part of British Whitbread PLC, is set to launch in Canada. Costa launches in collaboration with Shell, which will see 150 Costa Express self-serve coffee bars rolled out in Shell gas stations in Toronto, Alberta and Vancouver, with potential for a further 550 sites nationwide by 2020.

Costa Coffee is the UK’s favourite coffee shop chain with over 2’000 coffee shops in the UK and more than 1’180 stores across 30 international markets. Costa Express is an established part of the Costa Coffee product mix having enjoyed significant international growth, expanding from 877 machines in 2011 to over 5’000 today across the U.K. and 9 international markets.

Murray McGowan, Costa Express Managing Director, comments: «We are delighted to extend our global presence with our launch in Canada, a dynamic, desirable and thriving country with an established coffee culture. The scale of Shell in Canada, as well as our well established multi-market partnership gave us the ideal platform from which to roll out our brand. Through our partnership with Shell and our world-leading proposition, we feel confident that we will transform Canadian customer perception about the quality of on-the-go coffee available in forecourts, just as we did in the UK, increasing the appeal of Shell sites to their customers and giving customers more reasons to visit more often».

McGowan adds: «The success of Costa Express is down to being able to provide customers with quality coffee when they need it most, in locations that they were previously unable to find it. We have always been confident that combining our superior technology with the same quality freshly-ground coffee and fresh milk found on the high-street through Costa, we would be able to deliver an unbeatable customer experience. Customer feedback from our initial trials in Vancouver was really positive and we’re excited about growing the brand within Canada».

Costa Express self-serve coffee bars expertly marry Costa’s signature Mocha Italia blend, freshly ground for every cup, and fresh milk with the ease, speed, and efficiency offered by industry leading-technology to deliver premium coffee shop quality to busy customers on-the-move.

Sydney Kimball, Shell Vice President Fuels Sales + Marketing North America, said: «We’re pleased to be the first to market and lead the introduction of Costa Express Coffee into Canada. We aim to provide our customers with a great experience when they visit our locations and deliver the Best On-The-Go Food and Coffee offers to meet their needs. Our goal to offer the best service and quality fuels to customers is now strengthened with the best On-The-Go food and coffee options. Costa is a valuable business partner and we look forward to extending our relationship further in response to customers’ needs».