Pret A Manger has been revealed as the high street coffee chain with the steepest price increases over the past five years, with the cost of their most popular drinks rising by an average of 51%.
According to research conducted by Stocklytics, Pret’s americano has seen the most significant hike, jumping by £1.41 since January 2019.
The study compared the prices of seven popular drinks across five major UK coffee chains—Pret A Manger, Costa Coffee, Caffe Nero, Starbucks, and Greggs—looking at the cost of a regular cup of tea, americano, cappuccino, flat white, latte, single espresso, and hot chocolate.
While Pret has notably reduced the price of its filter coffee to 99p, most of its menu has seen substantial increases, with drinks now pushing the £4 mark. Caffe Nero follows closely behind Pret in terms of price hikes, with an average increase of £0.94 per drink, representing a 39% rise. Costa Coffee is not far off, with an average increase of £0.91, also around 38%.
Surprisingly, Starbucks comes out as the second most affordable option for basic drinks, with an average price increase of 25% (£0.57) over the same period. This positions Starbucks as a more cost-effective choice than expected in comparison to its rivals.
Greggs, meanwhile, stands out as the most budget-friendly coffee spot on the high street. Despite some minor price increases on food items, including a 5p to 10p rise on its iconic sausage rolls, Greggs has only raised its coffee prices by 7% in the last five years, making it the cheapest place to grab a coffee to go.
The research also highlighted that hot chocolate remains the most expensive drink across all chains, with an average price of £3.38 as of July 2024. As the cost of coffee continues to climb, consumers might increasingly turn to Greggs for a more affordable caffeine fix.
A Pret spokesperson said: “This research is misleading as it fails to take into account the significant savings available to customers through our Club Pret subscription since 2020. The cost of the subscription works out cheaper than buying two lattes every week with customers saving over £60 a month on average, so subscribers are often paying significantly less than the menu price. The data also doesn’t include our Filter Coffee price, which costs just 99p.”
