Esquires Coffee chain, which has a branch in Kingston's Ancient Market place, has signed a deal with Tesco to help with sales and expansion.

Cooks Coffee Company, which is listed on Aquis, posted UK and Ireland store sales of £43.1m for the year to end March, a surge of 22.8 per cent.

Pre-tax earnings rose 6.8 per cent to £529,000, while group revenue almost doubled to £5.4m.

The firm, which also has a site in Twickenham, opened various new coffee shops over the year, including 12 net openings in the UK.

It was also able to open five new stores in Ireland within Tesco stores as part of a new partnership with the supermarket.

Cooks said it is on the lookout for more UK locations for store openings, including in Derby, Liverpool, Blackpool and Hull. It has set its sights on a target of at least 300 stores in the UK as soon as 2034.

The chain is also looking at expansion further afield, with a new store opening in Pakistan and plans for coffee shops in India and the United Arab Emirates.

Aiden Keegan, chief executive of Cooks Coffee, told City AM: "Growth for the Esquires brand continues to significantly exceed reported industry growth in both core markets.

advertisement

"Our expansion strategy, combined with positive like-for-like sales growth, demonstrates the resilience of the business and ability to attract and retain customers in both established and new locations."