Birmingham coffee shop has the beans to impress developers

ONE of Birmingham’s most popular independent coffee houses is expanding with a move to a Solihull business park.

Java Lounge is bringing its speciality single-origin brews, teas, milkshakes, wraps and cakes to a purpose-built facility at IM Properties’ Blythe Valley Park after it impressed the developer with its shop in Birmingham city centre.

Construction of the new shop is under way and Java Lounge is expected to start operating in Q1 next year as IMP looks to enhance the amenities available for occupiers.

Rachael Clarke, development surveyor, IMP, said: “The second of Java Lounge’s venues is just down the road from our 55 Colmore Row scheme, and we’d been very impressed. When our colleagues visited, they agreed it would be ideal for Blythe, so we were very pleased to get the deal done.

“Bringing an independent coffee operator to the park provides us with the flexibility to keep an open dialogue with Java Lounge and the park’s occupiers to create the best amenity offer for the park users and wider area.”

The new coffee shop will seat up to 50 people and is expected to prove popular as a meeting destination for businesses on the 250-acre park.

Java Lounge was established in Moseley 11 years ago by Akram Almulad, who wanted to create a business that reflected his Yemeni heritage and honoured his parents’ homeland.

He said: “I’ve always been ambitious, but was also determined not to try to grow the business too quickly. Each year I re-invested in our original Moseley store until I was happy with every aspect, and when the opportunity came along in Colmore Row, I felt it was the right time for us.

“The coffee house at Blythe will be something special, because we can design the space from scratch, we’re not going into existing premises. I used to work on Blythe Valley and so understand the occupiers and the opportunity well. Now the contract is signed, I’ll continue to work with IMP’s designers and Rachael to get everything just right for the launch.”

The new coffee shop adds to a recent £5m refurbishment of IMP’s One Central Boulevard Grade A office scheme on the park, which has already seen occupiers, Infor and Zenith sign up to 10-year leases.

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