England, and across the UK, has among the lowest coffee consumption per person in Europe and we are now drinking less than we did in 2006. So why are businesses such as Costa Coffee and Starbucks growing so fast? And are pubs doing much worse, particularly in youthful and vibrant centres like the pubs in Brighton?

Coffee Shops in Brighton

‚¬"We now spend more on coffee in a year than we do on our energy bills - and as the price of beans rises, we respond by becoming ever fussier about our drinks.‚¬ - The Independent newspaper claims.

The overall market in the UK recorded a 6.4pc increase in sales in 2013 and there were 16,501 coffee shops across the country by the end of last year.

Across Britain in the past 12 months there were 245 new Costa Coffees, 160 Starbucks, 83 Caffe Neros and 78 openings by smaller chains, according to research by consultants Allegra Strategies. Overall, 566 branded coffee shops were launched, increasing the total by 25 per cent to 2,804.

So why are pubs struggling to make the last orders call while coffee shops are booming. In 1998, there were 61,000 pubs compared with 57,200 this April, a loss of 380 a year.

Jeanette Lewis is sitting on an imitation leather chair, sipping a latte and looking out over a damp market square. She checks the buses as they pass down the high street.

"If you miss a bus you can wait here in comfort. It's a pleasant environment and the staff are friendly," she says.

The difference between pubs and coffee shops are that coffee shops are much more quant, and they've also improved their position as being a hot social meeting spot.

‚¬"In a coffee shop you have a convivial atmosphere without the alcohol or the rowdiness. I would not go to the pub for a coffee, I would go for a pint," says Kavanagh.

He also believes coffee shops have been boosted by people shopping more online. Instead of spending their Saturdays trawling the shops, Brits are meeting up with friends at their local cafe.

Pubs in Brighton

By comparison, the number of pubs in Britain has been in steep decline for a number of years. ‚¬The Campaign for Real Ale' says British pubs are closing at the rate of 31 a week, although many are now fighting back by improved food and by serving breakfast and coffee throughout the day.

The Corner House Bar has a similar number of customers, drinking wine and beer. The landlord, Omar Tahiri, says he has an espresso machine and buys expensive coffee beans but only sells four coffees a week. "If you want a coffee, you go to a coffee shop. The pub is for other things" he says.

The customers at the bar say that people are more likely to drink alcohol at home whereas they will go out for a well-made coffee. If Pubs did better coffee and served it more often, then they are way more likely to do better.

The one Pub based company that have sussed it is J D Wetherspoon. Wetherspoons was founded in 1979 with over 900 pubs around Britain, including 2 pubs in Brighton. It claims to be "the only large pub firm which opens all its pubs early in the morning", serving breakfast and coffee as well as a full food menu into the evening.

Pubs claim that they are losing their business to Wetherspoon a lot more than they are losing it to coffee shops... "I have lost 50 per cent of my business to Wetherspoon - coffee shops haven't affected it all," says pub owner of the Corner House Bar, Omar Tahiri.

The customers at the bar say that people are more likely to drink alcohol at home whereas they will go out for a well-made coffee.
At one point, Britain's coffee shop market will become saturated. But analysts don't believe that time will come any time soon.
Once Brits may have been content with an instant Nescafe at their desk or at home but they are now venturing to their local coffee shop for their caffeine hit instead. Artisan coffee shops are also driving attention - in much the same way that craft beers are helping to revive the brewing manufacturing.