The Client & Challenge
Sainsbury’s wanted to bring café-quality coffee to convenience shopping. Their Local stores, designed for quick in-and-out visits, don’t have space for cafés but customers increasingly expect food and drink on the go. Installing over 100 Costa self-serve machines nationwide, often alongside Krispy Kreme cabinets, would upgrade the shopper experience.
The challenge was that this was not a simple plug-and-play installation. Each unit required waste, water, and power connections, with precise drainage angles and pumping distances. Multiple contractors had tried and failed. Store teams were left specifying locations where machines couldn’t be feasibly connected and the programme stalled.
Sainsbury’s
Our Approach
Key Group unlocked the programme by rethinking the process. Instead of retrofitting machines to impossible locations, we carried out detailed surveys at each site and advised on optimal placement. This intelligent surveying, tested over 6–7 months, meant that when rollout began it was efficient, predictable, and scalable.
Our team also managed the unique requirements of different regions. In Scotland, for example, each store required a formal building warrant. We prepared drawings, submitted applications, and worked directly with local authorities to resolve concerns quickly, ensuring compliance without delay to the national programme.
Sainsbury’s
Delivery in Detail
Scale
106 installations across England, Scotland and Wales, including a concentration in London before expanding nationwide.
Programme Speed
7-week delivery window once site surveying was complete.
Integration
11 stores also received Krispy Kreme cabinets, adding to the technical and logistical complexity.
Working Methods
Out-of-hours works were prioritised to minimise customer disruption, with flexible solutions such as barriered-off zones. Where ceiling heights or layouts required it, our teams used scissor lifts, mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs), and low-level podiums to safely access and install services in varied store environments.
Preparation
Nearly nine months of planning, revisits, and problem-solving meant all teething issues were resolved before main works began.
Sainsbury’s
The Results
The programme has already delivered new installations to a consistently high standard, with the first 10 completed sites praised by Sainsbury’s for quality of finish and efficiency. By solving the core technical problem of placement and drainage, Key turned an unworkable programme into a repeatable national rollout.
For shoppers, the result is clear: a more convenient, modern store experience with coffee and treats available during a quick shop. For Sainsbury’s, it demonstrates how innovation in delivery partners can unlock nationwide ambitions at pace.
In The Client’s Words
Your team’s patience while this programme has stuttered to get moving has been appreciated, Lee has been exceptional in accommodating the changes that come with this. I also need to mention Craig who has stepped in to support where needed and led the way with getting building warrants approved. Your team completed c.10 new instals in Feb which were done to a really high standard.
Mike Davin
Senior Project Manager, Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s
Nationwide Capability
This programme demonstrates Key Group’s ability to deliver consistently across the UK. From urban London sites to regional stores and the additional regulatory hurdles in Scotland, our teams applied the same problem-solving discipline and hands-on collaboration.
Sainsbury’s
Sustainability and Modern Methods
By investing time upfront in smarter surveying and planning, we reduced wasted works, avoided abortive installations, and minimised disruption to live retail environments. This efficiency translates into fewer return visits, less material use, and faster rollouts: a more sustainable model for national retail upgrades.
