Coffee shop chain Starbucks has reported rising sales in Ireland for the first time since mid-2007 as the number of customers grew and they spent more on cakes and sandwiches.

The chain recorded 'single digit sales growth'  in the second quarter of the year, said Darcy Willson-Rymer, the head of Starbucks' operations in the UK and Ireland. .

The chain has changed the choice of food it offers here to accommodate Irish tastes, offering porridge and crepes for the first time, reducing some prices while also introducing its first loyalty card here and cutting costs among suppliers.

Starbucks, which published company results for its 11,000 plus stores in the second quarter of 2010 yesterday, has seen a return to sales growth in many other countries in recent months as coffee drinkers shake off worries about the economy and allow themselves small luxuries.

The increase in customers was accompanied by closures of four stores in Dublin as part of a programme to shut 100 coffee shops outside the US.