Costa Coffee loses its froth as sales fall

Chain warns of subdued demand as shoppers shun high street and artisan rivals perk upBritain’s biggest coffee shop chain, Costa Coffee, has suffered a fall in sales at its high street stores and warned consumer demand would remain “subdued”.
Costa’s owner, Whitbread, said like-for-like sales at its UK outlets had fallen 1.5% in the 13 weeks to 30 November. Costa Express machines, which are mainly in petrol stations and convenience stores, fared much better, with 6.7% unde