Expert Opinion

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'Competing in a world saturated with coffee shops' - an industry viewpoint by Kamal Bengougam.

As news' headlines focus on the challenges facing the casual dining sector, our expert this week addresses the lessons learned and the opportunities.

The coffee sector is going to get tougher for operators as increased competition and growth continues, warns David Blair, director of Beanworks. But all is not lost for those who rise to the challenge, take control and run a better, more profitable business. Michelle Perrett reports.

Is the customers’ experience enhanced when the server is free to interact with them? This was a question posed by Martin Heger, global account manager at Schaerer at the European Coffee Expo last week, where the debate over skilled baristas versus automated machines remained a hot topic across various sessions last week.

The trade body UKHospitality, which includes Caffe Nero and Patisserie Valerie among its membership, has warned the Government that it must act to lower costs for businesses or risk further joblessness and loss of hospitality businesses.

Do the mass closures on the high street – New Look, Jamie’s Italian, Prezzo, Byron - indicate a tipping point for retailers on landlords rents? Operators certainly hope so. Coffee Business World’s editor Kate Oppenheim reports.

Is your company GDPR compliant? With two months to go until it becomes law, reports are indicating that most are not – with smaller businesses feeling the heaviest burden.

Expert Opinion – water industry Steve Slark addresses the elephant behind the coffee counter: scale and the environmental aspects of dealing with it. In this new, regular section of Coffee Business World, we invite trade specialists to share their expertise. This month, managing director of European Watercare and chairman of the BSA (Beverages Standards Association) talks about water and why consideration to how filtration systems are disposed of should be viewed with the same vigour as disposal cups.

Viewpoint: Market research and consumer trends expert Cyril Lavenant, NPD Group’s director of foodservice UK and France, examines the threat of coffee shop saturation and evaluates what methods operators can use to survive.

Independent coffee shop operators are facing an uphill challenge to open new sites, as tough competition on the high street shows no signs of abating, with the new and smaller businesses most likely to lose out, reports Michelle Perrett for Coffee Business World.

With the Tetley Tea Report being launched on February 8, Coffee Business World asked tea companies what were the highlights of 2017 for them, along with the challenges and opportunities for the year ahead. We begin this week with Ringtons’ head of tea, James Jobling.