Cooks Coffee Company (LSE:COOK), the owner of the Esquires brand, said systemwide store sales across the UK and Ireland rose 14% in the first quarter of its 2027 financial year, the three months to 30 June, compared with the same period last year.
UK systemwide sales climbed 14.9%, with like-for-like sales up 2.1%, while Ireland systemwide sales rose 11.8%, with like-for-like sales up 1.8%.
The combined UK and Ireland estate grew 14.6% to 110 stores, comprising 84 in the UK and 26 in Ireland, up from 96 a year earlier. Over the 12 months to 30 June, systemwide sales rose 19.3%, with UK sales up 18.5% and Ireland sales up 21.2%, against like-for-like growth of 1.4% and 2.7% respectively.
The company cited World Coffee Portal data showing the UK branded coffee shop market grew outlets by 3.5% and sales value by 5.5% during 2025, a benchmark against which Esquires' expansion and sales growth outpaced the wider market.
In the UK, 18 new Cook stores opened and ten closed over the past 12 months; Ireland added seven stores against one closure, with six of its 26 stores operating under a Tesco partnership.
"We have made a positive start to the new financial year and remain confident in the Group's opportunities for further growth across both existing and new locations", said Keith Jackson, Executive Chairman.
News Intelligence what this means for the company
Cooks Coffee reported 14% systemwide sales growth in Q1 FY27 (to 30 June) across the UK and Ireland, with the estate expanding 14.6% to 110 stores. Like-for-like growth remained modest at 2.1% (UK) and 1.8% (Ireland), meaning expansion drove most of the headline gain—but the company's growth rate outpaced the UK branded coffee market's 5.5% sales growth in 2025, signalling competitive momentum in a discretionary consumer segment.
The company is executing its store expansion strategy (now at 110 stores, up from 96 a year prior) while maintaining positive like-for-like sales, though the latter remains in low single digits. Systemwide growth of 14% is material relative to market growth of 5.5%, but investors should note that most of this comes from new unit openings rather than same-store performance—a distinction that matters for assessing underlying demand and franchise health.
Insights assembled by AI. Editor-reviewed and grounded in tickstock’s coverage and proprietary knowledge graph.
Content is for informational purposes only, not financial advice.
