JD Wetherspoon launches price war with 99p takeaway coffee
The pub chain is undercutting prices at Costa, Starbucks and Cafe Nero by rolling out a range of hot drinks to-go at its 950 UK sites this week.
Wetherspoon’s already sells 50m cups of coffee a year and is aiming to take a further slice of the UK’s £7.9bn coffee market.
However, the company is unlikely to poach fans of its rival’s extensive iced drinks and tea ranges, as customers will only be able to purchase Lavazza ground coffee and Tetley tea for now.
John Hutson, Wetherspoon’s chief executive, said: “Our coffee is extremely popular with our customers. We sell more than 1m cups a week in our pubs across the UK and believe that our customers will welcome the opportunity to enjoy a takeaway cup too, at just 99p.”
The launch follows a major overhaul of Wetherspoon’s food offering, including its controversial decision to scrap the popular Sunday Roast Dinners.
More vegan and vegetarian options have been added to the menu, alongside a range of ‘healthy’ jacket potatoes.
Wetherspoon founder Tim Martin said he would consider offering a wider range of takeaway options if the new drinks range was successful.
He told The Guardian: “If we do it well there will be a demand. As long as we don’t peeve our customers coming in for a pint or a meal and slow up service then I think we can do it.”
