UK survey finds independent coffee shops rate higher than coffee chains

A consumer survey by United Kingdom firm Allegra Strategies has found that independent coffee shops achieve the highest total excellence scores from visitors and deliver most on customer-centricity. The survey, Allegra CoffeeTrack, measures consumer behaviour on a monthly basis, with the panel tracking visitor activity across the coffee shop market, including consumer behaviour and attitudes.  Among branded coffee shops, the latest quarterly results found that M&S Café also ranks highly, particularly for trust, product quality, and products & range.  Waitrose Café and Gregg’s also rank highly for Q4 2015. “This reveals a changing dynamic in the coffee shop market as consumers look for alternatives to branded chains and seek a more personalised, unique coffee shop experience,” Allegra said in a statement. The results also show that coffee shop visits remained consistent, with approximately 60 per cent of UK consumers visiting a café at least once per week over the three months in Q4 2015. Costa was the most visited coffee shop, followed by independents and Starbucks. The number of visits and average spend fell in the run-up to Christmas, with the average spend dropping from US$6.17 (£4.34) in November to US$6.04 (£4.25) in December 2015. However, early analysis of Q1 2016 shows a rebound. Allegra CoffeeTrack data is available from Allegra World Coffee Portal, both on its own and as part of the Allegra Coffee Leader Network membership.