The UK’s all-consuming affair with the vast array of coffee shops open for business in every High Street in the land shows no sign of running out of steam, according to a new report yesterday. For the latest research commissioned on behalf of UK Coffee Week has found that Brits’ love of lattes and cappuccinos is actually on the increase with 3.4 new coffee shops opening daily across the nation. This growth sees the coffee shop industry pouring a staggering £8.9 billion into the UK economy, an increase of 12 percent since 2016. At this current rate, estimates put the number of coffee shops overtaking pubs by 2030 as Brits continue to swap lager for lattes. There are now around 23,000 coffee shops across the UK, a combination of non-specialists, independents, and major chains such as Starbucks, Costa and Caffe Nero. A total of 1,222 stores opened in the last year alone. But it’s not just physical outlets that are thriving, sales in independent and branded chains continue to grow. The big three chains contribute 19 percent of the total coffee shop sales with market leader Costa recording a sales growth of 8 percent and Starbucks and Caffe Nero’s sales growing by 9 percent and 7 percent respectively. With Brits drinking 2.3 billion cups of coffee per year in coffee shops – up 4 percent from 2.2 billion in 2016 – it is clear to see why coffee continues to be a major player in the UK food and drink world. The data also shows 39 percent of Brits stated their coffee consumption has increased over the past 12 months, and a further 48 percent of coffee lovers kept their consumption the same in 2016, keeping the UK’s 150,000 baristas busier than ever. UK Coffee Week was founded in 2011 and engages coffee shops across the country to raise money for Project Waterfall, a charity that works to deliver clean drinking water and sanitation to coffee growing communities across the globe. Since inception, the charity has raised over £600,000, changing over 23,000 lives in coffee growing communities. UK Coffee Week Founder Jeffrey Young, told Retail Times, “The UK has embraced coffee culture in a phenomenal way that has seen the industry grow and thrive to the size it is today – and it’s continuing. Through the combination of coffee shop growth and the premiumisation of at-home, the UK’s coffee offer is one of the best in the world. UK Coffee Week is about celebrating the UK coffee industry that is so important to the nation both financially and culturally, but it’s also about recognising and supporting the provenance of our caffeine fix. The humble coffee bean is the second most traded product worldwide and millions of people in countries from Guatemala to Ethiopia, to India and Indonesia rely on it for their livelihoods, so it’s important that we give something back. It’s about Great Coffee and Good Will.” The stats were taken from the UK Coffee Report, created by UK Coffee Week, which starts at London Coffee Festival then runs from 10-17 April nationwide.