Business at Caffe Nero has perked up as commuters returned to city centres after Covid.
The coffee chain, which has more than 610 stores in Britain, said sales in the UK hit £150million in the six months between June and November, taking them above pre-pandemic levels.
The firm also clocked up its best ever week early last month with sales reaching £7.9million in the week commencing December 5.
Recovery: Caffe Nero said sales in the UK hit a £150m in the six months between June and November – taking them above pre-pandemic level
While the return of workers to offices and travellers to train stations has boosted trade, Caffe Nero has also benefited from strong demand for deliveries having agreed partnerships with Deliveroo and Just Eat, alongside an existing deal with Uber Eats.
Overall, UK sales in the six months to November were up 17 per cent on the same period in 2021, when town and city centres were blighted by the Omicron variant of Covid.
‘Sales grew as the year progressed, which shows our brand strength and the desire of customers to come back in once health restrictions were lifted,’ said chief executive, Gerry Ford, who founded the brand in 1997.
‘We expect to see sales continue to improve further over the coming weeks and months.’
Caffe Nero also operates overseas. The business has 1,023 stores across ten countries, including the UK, and total sales hit £231million in the six month period, 20 per cent up on a year earlier.
