AMT Coffee aims to take on bigger rivals by growing all of its three formats after signing a £1m finance-raising deal with Close Leasing.
The chain, which has 72 sites in the UK, Belgium, Germany and the Republic of Ireland, has recently launched two sub-brands – AMT Coffee Naturally and the AMT Coffee Cart – and will use the cash to invest in new sites.
COO Jon Hassall said its kiosks were still its core business and would get a make-over this year, including more access to refrigeration; the first refit is scheduled for May and there are plans to open another 15 this year.
He added: “Most of our growth in food this year has come from sandwiches and paninis. We have installed bake-off ovens in 45% of our kiosks, while the average transaction is double in a Naturally format than in a kiosk.”
Its two AMT Coffee Naturally sites, at St Thomas’s Hospital in London and Heathrow Terminal 3, typically have 55+ covers and make bagels and porridge in the morning, then move on to soups, sushi and rolls for lunch. There is also a wide range of cakes and sandwiches bought in – sandwiches and paninis are supplied by Melton Foods.
Hassall said there was a big emphasis on fresh fruit smoothies and juices, made on-site, which was a big point of difference. “We worked with the hospital, which wanted a healthy and responsible offering and came up with the concept together.
"It has proved very successful and we aim to have between 10-12 of this format by the middle of next year. We want to grow in hospitals and universities as well as malls.”
There are already 11 mobile AMT Coffee Carts trading and AMT aims to open another 10 this year.
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