REG - Cooks Coffee Company - UK & Ireland Trading Update

Cooks CoffeeAnnouncement

17/02/2026 07:00

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RNS Number : 2463T  Cooks Coffee Company Limited  17 February 2026

17 February 2026

 

Cooks Coffee Company Limited

 

("Cooks Coffee", or the "Company" or the "Group")

 

UK & Ireland Trading Update

 

 

Cooks Coffee (NZX:CCC; AQUIS:COOK), the international coffee focused café
chain, announces a positive update on trading for the UK and Ireland for the
three months ended 31 December 2025 ("Q3 FY26"), together with an update for
the first nine months of the current financial year ending 31 March 2026
("FY26") and an update on openings for calendar year 2025.

 

Trading performance

 

The Group delivered a strong trading performance across both the UK and
Ireland during 2025/FY26 to date, with continued growth in system sales,
positive like-for-like sales and disciplined network expansion.

 

For the nine months ended 31 December 2025, UK Esquires stores achieved sales
of £21.9m (NZ$ 49.4m) with growth of 18.3% and like-for-like sales growth of
5.1%.

 

In Ireland, total store sales increased by 27.0% to £9.9m (NZ$ 22.3m) for the
nine-month period, with like-for-like sales growth of 6.3%.

 

This momentum was supported by a positive Q3 FY26, during which:

 

·      UK total store sales increased by 18.4% year-on-year, with
like-for-like growth of 2.0%

·      Ireland delivered total store sales growth of 25.3%, with
like-for-like growth of 3.8%

 

Market context

 

According to data published by the Allegra World Coffee Portal, the UK branded
coffee shop market recorded outlet growth of 3.5% and sales value growth of
5.5% during 2025. Against this backdrop, the Board is pleased with Esquires
Coffee's performance, which continues to outperform the wider market on both
sales' growth and network expansion with store sales for calendar year 2025 of
£28.6m (NZ$64.6m) in the UK and £12.8m (NZ$28.9m) in Ireland.

 

Store network

 

Esquires Coffee continued to expand its footprint across both core markets
during 2025.

 

In the UK, the network opened 18 new stores and closed seven, resulting in a
net gain of 11 stores with 81 stores trading at 31 December 2025 (2024: 70).
All stores are franchised in the UK.

 

In Ireland, four new stores were opened with no closures, resulting in a net
gain of four stores and 21 stores trading at year end (2024: 17). Of these, 17
are franchised and four are company managed.

 

The Group earns revenues primarily through royalties, product sales and
franchise fees.

 

Post-period developments

 

The Group recently announced that Esquires Coffee has entered into a Master
Franchise Agreement ("MFA") for the United Arab Emirates ("UAE"), one of the
fastest growing markets for specialty coffee outlets.

The MFA is a 10-year agreement, with a right of renewal, and provides for the
opening of a minimum of 50 Esquires Coffee outlets in the UAE over the term of
the agreement. The parties to the agreement are successful operators in the UK
with multiple stores in the Southeast of England.

Outlook

 

The Board remains encouraged by the Group's trading momentum, the resilience
of the Esquires Coffee brand and the continued demand from franchise partners
across both the UK and Ireland. The Company continues to focus on disciplined
network expansion, supporting franchisee profitability and performance and
maintaining strong brand standards and differentiated food and beverages
offerings.

 

Aiden Keegan, CEO of Cooks Coffee Company, commented:

 

"We are delighted with the performance delivered across both the UK and
Ireland during 2025. The continued growth in system sales and positive
like-for-like performance reflect the strength of the Esquires brand and our
long-standing focus on quality, organic ingredients and balanced food options.

 

"Against a challenging consumer backdrop, the business has continued to grow,
expand the store network and outperform the wider market. We remain focused on
disciplined expansion and supporting our franchisees as we continue to build
the Esquires Coffee brand internationally."

 

 

Enquiries:

 

 Cooks Coffee Company Limited                         +64 21 702 509 (New Zealand)
 Keith Jackson (Executive Chairman)                   keith.jackson@cookscoffeecompany.com

                                                    (mailto:keith.jackson@cookscoffeecompany.com)

 Aiden Keegan (Chief Executive)                       +44 (0) 7980 608 440 (UK)

                                                      aiden@esquirescoffee.co.uk (mailto:aiden@esquirescoffee.co.uk)

                                                      +44 (0) 20 3934 6630 (UK)
                                                      ukinvestorrelations@cookscoffeecompany.com

                                                    (mailto:ukinvestorrelations@cookscoffeecompany.com)

 IFC Advisory Limited (Financial PR & IR)             +44 (0) 20 3934 6630
 Graham Herring, Zach Cohen                           cookscoffee@investor-focus.co.uk (mailto:cookscoffee@investor-focus.co.uk)

 Allenby Capital (AQSE Corporate Adviser and Broker)  +44 (0) 20 3328 5656
 James Reeve, Nick Harriss (Corporate Finance)

 Tony Quirke (Sales and Corporate Broking)

 

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