Despite the widespread presence of coffee shops, there is still room in the market for expansion - and particularly for independent operators, who can use more distinctive coffee shop furniture to stand out from the crowd.
According to Mintel, there is plenty of scope for growth in the UK coffee shops market, both in terms of the number of outlets and in revenues too.
Within these growth trends, consumers are placing more value on a high-quality product and on visiting independent and artisan coffee shops, rather than just the big-brand chains, while non-specialists are also moving into the market.
Jonny Forsyth, global drinks analyst at Mintel, said: "The large specialist coffee chains face increasing competition from non-specialists such as pubs and fast food restaurants, which continue to improve and upgrade their hot drinks offers.
"Representing considerable competition to specialist coffee shop brands, independent stores are likely to grow significantly as coffee drinkers seek a more unique, artisanal, high-quality and 'third wave' coffee experience."
The diversity of different types of venue that fall under the general banner of 'coffee shop' highlights how versatile coffee shop furniture needs to be - catering for everything from a quick cup while perched on a stool at a kiosk, to outlets diversifying into sit-down meals.
Mintel's list includes kiosks and concessions, as long as they are independent of the facility in which they operate, and as such this can range from motorway service stations to hospitals and health clubs too.
Coffee dominates the market, with 71% of people who buy hot drinks out of the home saying that they buy coffee from a specialist shop; by comparison, 27% buy hot chocolate, and only 26% of people say they regularly buy tea in coffee shops.
Across all age groups, an average of 74% of Britons buy hot drinks while out of the house; 27% do so from independent coffee shops and cafes, with the same proportion choosing hot drinks when eating in fast food restaurants, and 14% drinking tea, coffee and hot chocolate while in a hotel, pub or restaurant.
Promisingly, the average is higher among the younger age groups - with 81% of Millennials, those aged 16-34, saying they buy hot drinks while out and about.