Starbucks’ first UK franchise partner 23.5 Degrees opens 50th store
Starbucks’ first franchised UK business partner, 23.5 Degrees, will open its 50th store on 20 June in Hull.
The business opened its first Starbucks store in Liphook, Hampshire in February 2013. The 50th opening is part of an ambitious expansion programme for UK firm, with plans to expand further over the coming years.
It plans to open seven new Starbucks stores by August 2018, and a further 20 new stores planned to open in the next 12 months, and is actively seeking both freehold and leasehold drive-through opportunities sitting on main arterial routes, close to major retail destinations or on large industrial estates that can be designed into three standard sized units: 1,500, 1,800 and 2,200 sq ft.
23.5 Degrees has opened 11 drive-thru stores in under two years, and now has more than 700 employees. That number is expected to more than double as the Starbucks stores currently in development are rolled out.
The firm has invested more than £18m in the UK economy to date through building and buying stores.
Mark Hepburn, managing director, said: “Reaching our 50th Starbucks store in just five years is a great achievement but we’re not stopping there. The UK coffee market is continuing to grow and with our local expertise, we hope to extend our store count considerably in the coming years.”
According to consultancy firm Allegra Strategies, the UK coffee shop market will exceed 31,400 outlets with a turnover of £13bn by 2022 – up from the total of 24,061 outlets and turnover of £9.6bn in 2017.
