"a shadowy monopoly exists"

Beverages Coffee suppliers in Paris are at war, with a single brand monopolising due to "a lack of education" amongst drinkers:

"The French coffee paradox is due to a few reasons, the first being that the country’s most widely consumed coffee, robusta, is the standard. To most of the people I spoke to who chose to remain off the record, a shadowy monopoly exists, with robusta using “subtly threatening” tactics on new businesses, making people afraid to strike out on their own, with different brands. Also, as one French barrista explained, “The French have a romantic, colonial mentality of being the best, without looking elsewhere.” For most café owners, that means less effort and more money.

I'd be interested to know if a similar turf war is at play in the UK. My understand was that it's all about real estate and surviving amongst the chains. it hadn't occured to me that it might extend to the product itself.