Coffee 1 facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founders | James Shapland, David Jones and Maryanne Tagney |
| Headquarters | Bristol, England |
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Number of locations
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100 (2019) |
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Area served
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United Kingdom |
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Key people
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James Shapland, Bruce Newman, Director |
| Products | Hot drinks and baked goods |
| Parent | Caffè Nero |
Coffee #1 is a popular British chain of coffee shops. It started in Cardiff, Wales, in 2001. Today, it is owned by another well-known coffee company called Caffè Nero. You can find Coffee#1 shops in many places. They are mostly along the M4 corridor, in Wales, and across southern England.
Contents
The Story of Coffee #1
How Coffee #1 Began
Coffee #1 was started in 2000 by four people: David Jones, Maryanne Tagney, James Shapland, and Anthony Shapland. James Shapland became the main boss, or managing director, in 2002. He owned most of the company when it was sold in 2011. The first Coffee#1 shop opened its doors in 2001. It was on Wood Street in Cardiff. By the end of that year, they already had three shops.
Growing Bigger and Winning Awards
James Shapland helped the company grow a lot. It became a top coffee chain in South Wales and South West England. Coffee#1 won many awards for being a great coffee bar chain. They won the Cafe Society's Coffee Bar Chain of the Year award five times in a row. This was from 2009 to 2013. They also won 'Best UK Coffee Chain' in 2009.
A New Owner: SA Brain
In 2011, a brewery company from Cardiff called SA Brain bought Coffee#1. A brewery makes beer. SA Brain wanted to try something new besides just pubs. This change showed that selling beer was becoming harder. Before this, Brains had even had Costa Coffee shops inside some of its pubs.
More Shops and More Growth
After being bought by SA Brain, Coffee#1 continued to grow. In 2013, nine more shops were added. In 2014, the company's sales went up by a huge 55%. By April 2015, Coffee#1 opened its 50th shop. This new shop was in Fareham, Hampshire. At that time, the company had 380 employees working for them. By the end of 2015, the chain had 57 coffee shops. These were spread across Wales and parts of southern and central England. The company had plans to open 15 more shops in 2016.
Joining the Caffè Nero Family
In 2018, SA Brain decided to sell most of its share in Coffee#1. They had looked at their business plans and made this choice. In January 2019, Caffè Nero bought 70% of Coffee#1. At that time, Coffee#1 had 92 shops. Caffè Nero then bought the rest of the company in February 2022. Even though Caffè Nero owns Coffee#1, it still runs as its own separate brand.
