Community focused coffee shop, Coffee#1, has announced the opening of three new stores to further expand its presence in the Midlands and the South East.
A new store in Leek (which opened this week) followed by new openings in Macclesfield and Epsom, both of which are already in the build phase, will see Coffee#1 further expand into the midlands as well as opening within the M25 for the first time.
Founded in 2001 and traditionally operating in Wales and the South West, the Epsom store will be the furthest east Coffee#1 has ever opened a store, while the Leek and Macclesfield stores follow the successful opening of the Buxton store in Derbyshire at the end of 2022.
The newly opened Leek store is the 108th store Coffee#1 owns, with the new coffee shop situated prominently in the centre of the city with a design created specifically to utilise aspects of the surrounding area.
Customers visiting Leek, Macclesfield and Epsom can relax with premium hand-crafted coffee, and an enticing menu which includes breakfast pastries, baps and paninis and an extensive range of cakes. Both the Leek and Macclesfield stores will be able to accommodate over 100 customers each while the Epsom site boasts 96 covers. A total of 30 jobs will be created across the three sites.
The expansion marks an acceleration in the rate of opening by Coffee#1, with the three store openings increasing the total number made by the retailer since the pandemic to 10, and take the total store count to 110.
Coffee#1 Managing Director, Bruce Newman commented: “Expanding our presence in the Midlands is a logical next step for us and we have felt for some time that Coffee#1 would be well received in Leek and Macclesfield. While we will continue to expand within our more traditional geographical areas, we also see significant potential for the brand in the South East and Epsom gives us the opportunity to build brand awareness beyond the South West and Wales.”
Despite the impact cost inflation upon the business, Coffee#1 continues to trade well, with Christmas trading helping the brand reach 120% of pre-pandemic levels.
Newman commented: “We continue to be encouraged by the performance of the business which is testament to the excellence and hard work of our team. I remain confident that the brand is well placed to take advantage of changes in working patterns and I see reason why Coffee#1 shouldn’t continue to expand through the course of the financial year”.