Growing coffee and food chain to launch latest branch in shopping centre
Independent coffee and food chain Bob & Berts has expanded its footprint into Yorkshire as it prepares to open its 28th UK store in Wakefield on 25 September, creating over 30 jobs.
Situated in the city’s open-air Trinity Walk Shopping Centre, the company has transformed a 3,000 sq ft unit into a 120-cover family-friendly coffee shop.
Bob & Berts was founded in Portstewart in Northern Ireland in 2013 by Colin McClean.
Following a £2m investment in 2017 from growth capital investor BGF, the business has grown to 28 sites across the UK, including seven in England. It reported 58% sales growth in the 12 months ending 30 June 2022, reaching £17.8m.
The company has recently appointed former Pizza Express and Spit Roast operations manager, Dave Rayner as its regional operations manager for England.
He will lead the operations team to oversee the company’s roll out across the country as part of its strategic growth plan.
McClean said: “We’re eager to bring Bob & Berts’ signature style and welcoming service to the local community of Wakefield.
“Trinity Walk Shopping Centre is a fantastic location with family-friendly events taking place all year round.
“We see Yorkshire as a key growth area for us and Dave’s experience of both branded and independent operations will prove extremely valuable in helping us reach more communities across England.”
The chain’s food offering focuses on an all-day breakfast menu with favourites including ‘Bob’s Famous Fry’ and ‘Bert’s English Breakfast Muffin’, as well as a range of seasonal specials that will launch on 15 September.
The autumn menu will showcase seasonal favourites such as toffee apple pancakes and pumpkin-spiced French toast. There will also be some additions to the lunch menu including pulled pork quesadillas and a Korean BBQ chicken burger.
Diners can also look forward to coffee which is hand-roasted in Northern Ireland, as well as a range of milkshakes, frappes and smoothies.
David Ferguson, co-owner of Bob & Berts, added: “We’ve seen great success across England over the past 12 months following store openings in Carlisle, Bury and Blackpool, with customers commenting on the positive impact our stores have had on boosting the local high street offer with affordable food and drink.
“We’ve identified a strong pipeline of new sites as part of our continued expansion and short-term objective of being a 50 plus site brand.
“Our roll out across England remains our focus for the next 12 months and we’ve identified six stores to open with potential locations including Rochdale, Burnley, Southport, Warrington and Liverpool to maintain our successful momentum.”
