Costa: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Costa Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is The Coca-Cola Company. It holds 75% or more of the company. In the year to December 2025 Costa Limited reported turnover of £1,292m.
- In the year to December 2025, Costa had turnover of £1,292m, up 4.9% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax profit of £69m, keeping £5.36 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 18,392 people, with staff costs of £413m.
- Costa Limited is controlled by The Coca-Cola Company, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from Costa Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 30 September 2026.
- Registered name
- COSTA LIMITED
- Company number
- 01270695
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 28 July 1976
- Registered office area
- Hemel Hempstead
- Industry code on the register
- 10832: Manufacture of food products
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 30 September 2026
What does Costa do?
Costa is a coffee chain selling coffee, other hot and cold drinks, and food to eat in or take away. Brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa founded it in London in 1971. It sells through company-run and franchised coffee shops, Costa Express self-serve machines at petrol stations and other sites, and packaged coffee and canned drinks sold in supermarkets. It roasts its own coffee blends.
In brief: coffee shop chain · company-run and franchised shops · Costa Express machines · supermarket products
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: costa.co.uk.
Who owns Costa?
The Companies House register records The Coca-Cola Company as the person with significant control of Costa Limited, company number 01270695. The Coca-Cola Company is itself company number 00088529. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights. The control was notified on 3 January 2019.
That places Costa Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Costa?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for Costa Limited.
All 5 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Nicholas Clive Orrin | 6 April 2023 |
| Philippe Dirk M. Schaillee | 11 April 2023 |
| Suzanne Werner | 10 July 2025 |
| Benjamin William James Capon | 23 July 2025 |
| Katharine Laura Grimwood | 1 July 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Costa file?
Costa Limited reported turnover of £1,292m in the year to December 2025. That was up 4.9% on £1,232m the year before.
It reported 18,392 employees. The year before it reported 17,957.
It filed a pre-tax profit of £69m for the year, against a pre-tax profit of £65m the year before.
Staff costs came to £413m. That is an average of £22,000 a head. It ended the year with £111m at the bank and net assets of £245m. It paid dividends of £80m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £1,292m | £1,232m |
| Pre-tax profit | £69m (filed) | £65m (filed) |
| Employees | 18,392 | 17,957 |
| Staff costs | £413m | £394m |
| Average staff cost per head | £22,000 | £22,000 |
| Bank and cash | £111m | £136m |
| Net assets | £245m | £264m |
| Dividends paid | £80m | £80m |
| Interest paid | £17m | |
| Interest received | £6m | |
| Directors' pay | £3m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Costa?
Costa Limited has registered 6 charges at Companies House, of which 3 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 3 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Provincial Weekly Newspapers Limited | 17 April 2004 |
| Gollard Corporation Inc | 28 November 2001 |
| Allied Dunbar Assurance PLC | 3 October 2001 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Costa compares
Of the 3 coffee chains, Costa is 1st on turnover, 1st on profit margin and 3rd on growth.
| Rank | Coffee chains | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Costa | £1,292m | £5.36 |
| 2nd | Caffè Nero | £588m | −£7.03 |
| + 1 more coffee chains ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
That comparison uses Costa's accounts to December 2024. This page shows the newer year to December 2025.
Costa files as Costa Limited, whose person with significant control is The Coca-Cola Company, with turnover of £1,292m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Costa
What does Costa do?
Costa is a coffee chain selling coffee, other hot and cold drinks, and food to eat in or take away. Brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa founded it in London in 1971. It sells through company-run and franchised coffee shops, Costa Express self-serve machines at petrol stations and other sites, and packaged coffee and canned drinks sold in supermarkets. It roasts its own coffee blends.
Is Costa bigger than Caffè Nero?
Yes, by turnover. Costa reported £1,292m in its latest accounts, against £588m at Caffè Nero. Our Costa v Caffè Nero page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Costa v Caffè Nero →
Is Costa bigger than Starbucks?
Yes, by turnover. Costa reported £1,292m in its latest accounts, against £556m at Starbucks. Our Costa v Starbucks page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Costa v Starbucks →
How does Costa compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Costa is 1st of the 3 companies in our battle of the coffee chains, ahead of Caffè Nero. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the coffee chains →
Who owns Costa?
The Companies House register records The Coca-Cola Company as the person with significant control of Costa Limited. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights.
How much does Costa make?
Costa Limited reported turnover of £1,292m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax profit of £69m.
How many people work at Costa?
Costa Limited reported 18,392 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Costa?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for Costa Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Costa Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 01270695, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Costa: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/costa/. Figures from Companies House filings for COSTA LIMITED (01270695).
More from Spark Intel
VS Series
Costa or Caffè Nero: The high street coffee clash: who is brewing up the biggest profits?
Read →VS Series
Costa v Starbucks: turnover, profit and staff compared
Read →Battle
The battle of the coffee chains: turnover, profit and staff compared
Read →Company profile
Wetherspoons: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
Greggs: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profile
McDonald's: who owns it and what the accounts show
Read →Company profiles