(HarpersBazaar) - The number of UK coffee shops is set to overtake the number of pubs by 2030, new research has found. Could it really be that we like coffee more than wine?

Three new coffee shops open every day in the UK, with the industry valued at a huge £8.9 billion – up 12 per cent since 2016. Apparently, 2.3 billion cups are served each year.

In comparison, the wine industry was valued at £4.2 billion in 2016 according to the Wine and Spirit Trade Association – that's less than half of the coffee business. Spirits were valued at £5.8 billion.

"The UK has embraced coffee culture in a phenomenal way that has seen the industry grow and thrive to the size it is today – and it's continuing," said Jeffrey Young, the founder of UK Coffee Week. "Through the combination of coffee-shop growth and the premiumisation of at-home [coffee], the UK's coffee offer is one of the best in the world."