The Nero Group has opened a new café concept in Waitrose and its first-ever Caffè Nero site in a John Lewis store.
The new Waitrose café concept, which has initially opened in fives stores, will provide customers with a full sit-in café experience including a menu comprising food and recipes from Waitrose and coffee roasted specially for the retailer by The Nero Roasting Company. The first Waitrose stores to offer the new cafes will be Billericay, Godalming, Keynsham, Locks Heath, and Stroud.
It has also opened the first Caffè Nero in a John Lewis store, in White City, London. The 1,500 sq ft store seats 72 people and will offer the full range of Caffè Nero’s speciality coffees and its deli food.
Collaboration between The Nero Group and Waitrose started back in 2021, with the coffee firm supplying roasted and blended coffee for myWaitrose loyalty customers.
“We have always seen the potential to deepen that relationship further and the launch of the new cafes in Waitrose is a key step in that process, as is widening the scope of our relationship with our first Caffe Nero store within a John Lewis store,” said Will Stratton-Morris, Caffè Nero CEO UK.
Stratton-Morris added that it was the “perfect pairing” with “still so much scope” to grow further.
“The initial tranche of five cafes will offer the best of Waitrose quality food with coffee from The Nero Roasting Company in a welcoming environment with the great Partner-led service we’re famous for,” added Charlotte Di Cello, commercial director for Waitrose. “Our stores are hubs for local communities across the country and we know our customers love to have the option of enjoying a coffee, snack or meal after their shop.”
It comes amid a growth drive for The Nero Group, which has recently acquired London-based coffee business FCB Coffee and Nottingham-based 200 Degrees. It now operates more than 790 stores in the UK, with Caffè Nero accounting for 625 stores.
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