There are over 70 of them across the country, with more opening soon… (Picture: Esquires)
Whether you’re a flat white fan, or an espresso drinker, there’s no shortage of coffee shops to get your fix at in the UK.
You can take your pick from thousands of independent artisanal spots, cosy cafes, plus well-known chains like Starbucks, Costa, and Gail’s.
Many of these will be located on high streets, so you can grab a takeaway drink to fuel a shopping trip at Primark or M&S. But interestingly there’s one chain that you’ll never see next to these stores.
Esquires Coffee was founded 25 years ago, but if you live in a big city, you might never have heard of it. That’s because instead of targeting bustling city centres, the business prefers to operate in out-of-town areas and suburban locations.
The coffee shop chain has been quietly popping up all around the UK over the last few years and now has more than 70 sites across the country, in places such as Godalming, Bicester, Walton-on-Thames, and Tunbridge Wells.
The chain likes to open in suburban areas (Picture: Steve Merchant)
Despite many popular food and drink chains closing their doors this year, Esquires is continuing to open more sites, having recently launched 17 new regional outlets.
The business is currently pursuing growth in areas such as the South East England, the East Midlands and Wales, with an aim to open at least 10 new branches by the end of March 2025.
If that weren’t enough Esquires is looking to double its number of locations over the next three years, to reach between 140 and 150 coffee shops, and hit 300 shops by 2030.
The chain believes it is able to stand out in the UK’s busy cafe market as each of its stores having a distinct identity, ‘blending independent coffee culture with the consistency and support of a franchise’.
Customers praise the food and ‘homely’ feel of the coffee shops (Picture: Esquires)
Aiden Keegan, chief executive of Esquires in the UK, said: ‘We see that the brand has really strong potential to reach more communities.
‘We’re not going high street, we’re not going flagship, you’ll never see us on Oxford Street. We don’t particularly want to be in central business districts or city centres.
‘We’re happier in the suburbs where people working from home want to visit a cafe to work – we see a lot of people in our stores with earbuds on their laptops – or for a break, or to catch up with friends. This means we get bigger spend and longer dwell time than in more central locations.’
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Source:: Metro
