Costa Coffee launches first ‘commuter-focused’ store

Costa Coffee has opened its first ‘commuter-focused’ store concept in London.

The debut site within Lewisham Station occupies 400 sq. ft. of space formerly used as the station manager’s office.

According to the group, the new takeaway only concept designed “to suit the needs of the busy commuter”, and added that it marks an “exciting development” in Costa Coffee’s history under its new owners Coca-Cola, which purchased the brand earlier this year.

The Lewisham site is the first of eight mini-stores to open in some of the capital’s busiest transport hubs over the next six months.

Five sites have already been acquired on behalf of the coffee shop, by its property advisors RAB Retail. Over the coming months there will also be a number of store refurbishments within Costa Coffee’s existing estate, to facilitate the new store concept.

Commenting on behalf of RAB Retail, Richard Brown, said: “Having worked with the team at Costa Coffee for over 15 years we have seen the brand’s extensive growth and their ability to evolve to meet their clients’ needs.

“We’re delighted that under new ownership there is a continued commitment to develop the portfolio and we are excited to be leading the property acquisition function for their mini-store rollout in London.”

Connie Emerson, head of global store propositions and design at Costa Coffee added: “As the nation’s favourite coffee shop, we’re committed to putting customer experience at the heart of everything we do.

“We understand that in today’s busy, fast paced world, our customers want to ensure they can get their Costa Coffee fix, even if they are hurrying to work, so naturally, the next evolution of a store concept had to centre on meeting the needs of busy, on-the-go commuters.”

RAB Retail said it is continuing the search for the brand for additional sites between 200 and 600 sq. ft. in high footfall commuter locations across the capital.