Starbucks celebrates 25 years of coffee in the UK and in the Europe Middle East and Africa region

Starbucks entered the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region 25 years ago, opening our first store in the UK in 1998 on Kings Road, London.

Our first market in EMEA, and still our largest, Starbucks now welcomes millions of customers every year at more than 1,100 stores across the UK.

From introducing flavours like our iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL), to establishing new coffee craft experiences such as Starbucks Oleato™ - we’re proud of what has been accomplished over the last quarter century. We were even the first major coffeehouse to introduce Cold Brew to the UK high street in 2015, which has since become a staple nationwide.

Now, to celebrate our 25th anniversary we’ve launched a Cold Brew with an exclusive new taste – one that combines two quintessentially British flavours to create a celebratory coffee moment that comes together with a unique twist. The Starbucks® Clotted Cream Fudge Cold Brew is a sensational sip of classic British flavours of fudge and clotted cream, both produced in the UK and paired with Starbucks smooth Cold Brew to bring to life our popular iced offering exclusively for British coffee lovers.

In addition to bold product innovation and industry-leading coffee craft, 25 years of Starbucks presence across Europe Middle East and Africa has also been defined by growth and expansion. Today, we celebrate a significant milestone on our journey as we open our 20,000^th store outside of North America in Oldham, Manchester, in the UK.

This mixed-format store features the convenience of a Drive Thru, alongside relaxed sit and stay seating and is certified as a Greener Store, repurposed from a former retail outlet and reflects our commitment to developing new store formats that meet our customers’ needs where they are.

Alex Rayner, General Manager at Starbucks UK, said: “As we celebrate 25 years of contributions and leadership within UK coffee culture, we are proud to build on our coffee craft legacy by welcoming a new, permanent beverage to our menus, and to continue realising our ambitious plans for growth.”

“We’ve seen huge revenue growth in both the UK and EMEA – in part down to new stores in the region, but also by innovating at pace to meet our customers where they're at – investing in digital channels, new store formats, and expanding the Third Place as our customers’ expectations and habits evolve.

“It’s been an incredible 25 years, and it couldn’t have been achieved without our incredible partners. I’m looking forward to the next 25.”

Starbucks has also taken action to secure the future of coffee, including introducing the pioneering C.A.F.E. Practices, one of the coffee industry's first set of ethical sourcing standards to ensure fairness across our supply chains, establishing Farmer Support Centres around the world, and piloting new sustainable dairy sourcing techniques as part of an industry-leading programme, as we commit to giving back more than we take from the planet.