Location Planning & Strategy Manager

Knaves Beech Business Centre, Davies Way, Loudwater, Wooburn Green, High Wycombe HP10 9QR, UK

Job Description

At Costa Coffee, we’re on a mission to reimagine coffee experiences across the globe. From bustling cities to local communities, we’re creating meaningful coffee moments, powered by innovation and driven by purpose.

As a proud part of the Coca-Cola system and working hand in hand with our pioneering partners, we’re in over 50 countries and counting. Whether it's served in-store, from a machine, at home, or on the go, every cup is thoughtfully crafted by our passionate teams who put heart into every moment.

Our teams truly make a difference. Whether it's innovative new tech for the perfect pour, launching award‑winning campaigns, developing exciting new menu items, or supporting our people to grow – together, we stir up success.

This is a pivotal moment for Costa’s UK&I estate. We’re accelerating growth and this hire will sit at the very heart of those decisions, shaping where we invest. We’re looking for an experienced and forward‑thinking Location Planning & Strategy Manager to lead our UK&I network planning strategy shaping where and how we grow through smart, data‑led decisions on new store openings, relocations, refurbishments, closures and portfolio optimisation. The role sits within a fantastic Property team, responsible for delivering a compelling location strategy that fuels commercial growth and ensures we have the right stores in the right places at the right time. If you’re motivated by turning insight into impact and influencing the future of our estate, this is your opportunity to make a real difference.

We value curiosity, inclusivity, and a problem‑solving mindset. If you thrive in a fast‑paced, global environment and are excited to make a meaningful impact, we encourage you to apply.

With inspiring experiences, development programmes, and our apprenticeship scheme, your career can grow far beyond the day‑to‑day.

What you’ll do

Being a Location Planning & Strategy Manager is about so much more than bringing our coffee to the world. It’s your chance to drive real success – which means you’ll be:

• Defining and delivering the 3+ year UK&I Network Strategy. Creating a clear, prioritised plan for new stores, relocations, refreshes and closures, ensuring the right investment decisions by region.
• Leading data‑led site and location planning. Owning the evaluation of new stores and relocations, building robust business cases and clear forecasts to support senior decision‑making.
• Building and prioritising the growth pipeline. Identifying target locations across equity, franchise and partnerships, aligned to long‑range sales and PBIT goals.
• Optimising portfolio performance. Monitoring market potential, cannibalisation and competitor activity, ensuring capital is deployed into the right formats and locations.
• Enabling delivery through strong internal and external stakeholder leadership. Partnering with regional teams, franchisees and global markets to turn strategy into action and measurable results, as well as managing our external Location Planning team.
• We are growing the team to include a location planning analyst which will report into this role.

Who you are

It’s your unique ingredients we’re interested in:

• Extensive experience in retail network strategy and location planning within large, multi‑site businesses, with strong knowledge of estate and property acquisition processes.
• Commercially sharp and insight‑led. Translating complex data into clear actions, with a track record of optimising portfolios to drive performance and growth.
• Thrives in fast‑paced environments. Comfortable navigating complexity and delivering results through partnership and accountability.
• Influential and collaborative. Strong negotiation and stakeholder management skills, able to operate confidently within a matrix and influence at senior level.
• Strategic, curious and market‑aware. Able to bring drive, tenacity and a deep understanding of market dynamics and competitor landscapes.
• People leadership experience would be advantageous.

So, why Costa?

We didn’t become a global coffee brand by sitting back. When you work here, you join a community that values passion, progression, and integrity—with some brilliant perks to sweeten the deal. We work in a hybrid environment, giving us the flexibility to balance life while still spending meaningful time together and building strong connections:

• Own a piece of Costa’s success by becoming a share owner in Coca‑Cola with our Share Investment Plan (SIP)
• An annual discretionary bonus scheme, based on business results and individual contribution.
• A smart pension that saves you money on tax and national insurance, and matches your contributions up to 10%
• The Costa Financial Support Fund, supporting team members who find themselves in unexpected financial pressure
• 50% discount in all Costa‑owned stores, and 25% off in other participating stores
• Private medical cover thanks to our Private Healthcare scheme
• And that’s not all. Explore even more of our perks here: https://bit.ly/costaperks

Location - Where you’ll work

Hybrid, 3 days per week in our Loudwater Innovation Centre

Right now, our Support Centre teams work flexibly, blending home working with in‑person time whenever it matters most – whether that’s a team moment, a creative session, or simply coming together to share ideas.

We’re excited to be returning to our Loudwater office in January 2027, a space from which our Support Centre teams will work three days a week to connect and collaborate in‑person to bring our bold ambition to life.

For any reasonable adjustments and general queries, please get in touch with costa.recruitment@costacoffee.com.

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