The Nero Group has reported strong global and UK sales in the period from 1 June to 30 November 2024.
Across the group, like-for-like sales grew by 8% for the first half of the financial year.
The chain performed strongly in the UK, where sales went up by 11.4% to £185m.
The owner of five café brands, including Caffè Nero, also grew its presence in global markets.
The group’s sales were up 12% in Turkey and 9% in Sweden, making them the top-performing markets outside the UK.
The company navigated “challenging costs in the first half”, but new avenues including partnering with delivery businesses (Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat) generated £8.2m of revenue.
The ‘coffee at home’ business, selling the Nero mix for home use, also increased sales by 20%.
“The first half was very encouraging. Our success is a reflection of the hard work and outstanding service from our store teams and the real momentum we’ve built through menu innovation,” said group CEO Gerry Ford.
“We have delivered record sales at both group and UK level, and it leaves us well placed to have a strong full year, despite significant financial costs and challenges which the business will have to overcome in the coming months.”
“I was particularly encouraged by our Cinnamon Bun, which sold over quarter of a million units after its launch in Q2, and the famous Maritozzi Bun, which took the country by storm and sold close to half a million units in the first half of the year.”
The Nero Group acquired two businesses – 200 Degrees and FCB Coffee – in 2024.
The new additions to the group added 32 stores to the existing 600-strong UK estate.
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