As temperatures rise, more UK consumers grab iced coffees

The hot, hot, hot coffee scene in the UK is ‘cooling’, but it is a good thing. The heatwave during the recent late May bank holiday created a surge in iced coffee purchases for the UK hospitality industry.

New transaction data from Square, the global payments platform, shows there was a 137% uplift in iced coffee purchases during the UK heatwave from Friday 22nd to Monday 25th May, compared with the weekend before (15th – 18th May 2026). Commissioned by OnePoll, Square UK surveyed 2,000 UK adults in May 2026 on their coffee habits.

The hot weather during the recent bank holiday also effected a 123% year-on-year uplift in iced coffee sales compared to the 2025 May bank holiday (22nd – 25th May 2025).

The top five purchases during the 2026 May bank holiday weekend were:

1. Iced Latte

2. Iced Coffee

3. Iced Americano

4. Iced Matcha Latte

5. Iced White Chocolate Matcha

Separate consumer research from Square has found nearly half (47%) of people change their coffee to an iced drink when it is hot. Gen Z in particular, is spurring the change, with 81% changing from hot to iced coffee, followed by 74% of millennials.

Commenting on the data, John O’Beirne, CEO of Square International, said, “Few people read the market faster than a hospitality business owner, and the [recent] heatwave was a prime opportunity for them to stock up on chilled drinks and the supplies required for iced coffees, so that they can cater for the demand.”

Costa Coffee, the UK’s leading coffee chain, continues to expand its cold coffee lines. This summer, for example, Costa is introducing the Iced Oat Velvetino, the Cherry Vanilla Iced Whipped Latte, a new Hazelnut Crème Iced Whipped Latte and a Frappé, as well as a Sweet Ube Iced Whipped Latte. The chain has also broadened its iced matcha line and is also offering Jasmine Hibiscus Iced Tea this summer.

But it is not just on-premise cold coffee purchases that are booming — the ready-to-drink coffee market in the UK is also growing. For example, Rodd’s is an iced coffee brand founded in the UK in 2025. The brand has surpassed £3 million (USD $4.03 million) in retail sales in its first year and launched its sixth SKU into Sainsbury’s in May. Arctic Coffee further expanded its RTD coffee line with the introduction of Arctic Decaf Café Latte, which hit shelves in Tesco stores across the UK in May.

Even international coffee brands want to tap into the UK’s thriving cold coffee market.

Swedish coffee brand Löfbergs used the recent London Coffee Festival to announce its expansion into the UK RTD market. Its cookies-and-cream-flavoured RTD coffee, already launching in Sweden, will be rolled out in Britain, with dates still to be confirmed.

Given its popularity, and since it is only the beginning of June, I am sure we will see more iced/cold coffee rollouts before it is officially summer in the UK…

• Vanessa L Facenda is editor of Tea & Coffee Trade Journal. She may be reached at: [email protected].