Coffee#1 extends presence in Midlands and South East

Coffee shop chain Coffee#1 has announced three store openings that will take its total estate to 110 sites.

The business last week opened a new store in Leek and has revealed it is building coffee shops in Macclesfield and Epsom, which will be the brand’s first site within the M25.

Coffee#1 was founded in 2001 and traditionally operates in Wales and the South West, with the Epsom store being the furthest east it has operated. The Leek and Macclesfield stores follow the successful opening of the Buxton store in Derbyshire at the end of 2022.

Leek and Macclesfield will accommodate more than 100 customers each while the Epsom site is 96 covers. A total of 30 jobs will be created across the three sites.

The new stores will take the number opened by the business since the pandemic to 10, and take the total store count to 110.

“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,” said Coffee#1 managing director Bruce Newman.

“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.”

The business said it was continuing to trade well despite the impact of cost inflation, with Christmas trading helping the brand reach 120% of pre-pandemic levels.

“We continue to be encouraged by the performance of the business which is testament to the excellence and hard work of our team,” added Newman. “I remain confident that the brand is well placed to take advantage of changes in working patterns and I see no reason why Coffee#1 shouldn’t continue to expand through the course of the financial year.”

Caffè Nero Group acquired a majority stake in the Coffee#1 chain in 2019.