Costa, the Whitbread-owned brand, is launching in Canada for the first time with 150 Costa Express self-serve coffee bars to be rolled out into Shell petrol stations, with an aim of delivering 700 by 2020.
The initial stage of the new collaboration will see the self‐serve coffee bars rolled out in stations in Toronto, Alberta and Vancouver.
In Canada, Shell has circa 1,200 branded stations, serving approximately 500,000 customers per day, whilst Costa Express has expanded from 877 machines in 2011 to over 5,000 today across the UK and nine international markets.
The company told M&C that there was no plans at present to launch its coffee shops into the Canadian market.
Murray McGowan, Costa Express managing director, said: “We are delighted to extend our global presence with our launch in Canada, a dynamic and thriving country with an established coffee culture. The scale of Shell in Canada, as well as our well established multi‐market partnership gave us the ideal platform from which to roll out our brand. Through our partnership with Shell and our world‐leading coffee proposition, we feel confident that we will transform Canadian customer perception about the quality of on‐the‐go coffee available in forecourts, just as we did in the UK, increasing the appeal of Shell sites to their customers and giving customers more reasons to visit more often.
“The success of Costa Express is down to being able to provide customers with quality coffee when they need it most, in locations that they were previously unable to find it. We have always been confident that by combining our superior technology with the same quality freshly‐ground coffee and fresh milk found on the high‐street through Costa, we would be able to deliver an unbeatable customer experience. Customer feedback from our initial trials in Vancouver was really positive and we’re excited about growing the brand within Canada”.
Sydney Kimball, Shell vice president Fuels Sales & Marketing North America, said: “We’re pleased to be the first to market and lead the introduction of Costa Express Coffee in Canada. We aim to provide our customers with a great experience when they visit our locations.. Our goal to offer the best service and quality fuels to customers is now strengthened with the best On‐The‐Go food and coffee options. Costa is a valuable business partner and we look forward to extending our relationship further in response to customers’ needs.”
