Cooks Coffee plans ‘significant expansion’

Cooks Coffee Company is planning a “significant expansion” in the number of cafes operating under its Esquires and Triple Two brands, representing expected growth of almost 10% in store numbers before the end of the year. The Esquires chain, which had 50 UK cafes at the end of September 2022, will have added a further 10 UK outlets to its portfolio before the end of Q1 2023 and a further two to its 15-strong portfolio in Ireland, while Triple Two is also focused on expansion opportunities. The brand has already doubled the number of Triple Two cafes in the past 12 months to 20, before these planned new launches. This month will see the launch of the first of Triple Two’s “Triple Two Go” vans, providing a mobile coffee outlet in the Manchester, UK, area. Five new cafes are currently planned to be opened in London and the south of England before the end of 2022. Cooks Coffee’s total store count is expected to rise from 111 cafés across the UK, Ireland and the Middle East as at the end of September 2022 to more than 120 by the end of 2022. The group said significant further expansion was anticipated, as it had “a very healthy pipeline of additional opportunities” in negotiation which are expected to see further stores opening in the first half of 2023. Keith Jackson, executive chairman at Cooks Coffee Company, said: “Building on our position as the fourth largest coffee-focused cafe chain in the UK (behind Starbucks, Costa and Caffé Nero), and the largest solely franchisor-focused cafe chain in the UK and Ireland, we see considerable opportunities for further growth. “Having emerged from the pandemic in a healthy position, I believe Cooks Coffee is now poised for significant growth that will deliver value for our shareholders.”   To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews