Society Café opens fifth site in Bristol

Local award-winning coffee shop chain Society Café has confirmed that they will be opening their next community coffee shop at Alliance House, Baldwin Street, Bristol.

Society Café is the latest business to take up residence in the landmark mixed-use scheme, by local independent developer Acorn Property Group.

This will be Society Café’s fifth site and second in Bristol. The family run business started in Bath ten years ago this March.

Society Café has grown into a local chain of four shops: two in Bath, one in Oxford and an existing Bristol Harbourside location, that will be retained following the opening at Alliance House.

The 1,300 sq. ft former Santander branch, similar in size to the Harbourside Society Café, has been designed in conjunction with Bristol architects Shape Studio.

Robin Squire, regional managing director of Acorn Property Group’s Bristol region, said: “Alliance House, which is over 90% sold, is bringing life back to the city centre, through creating new homes and commercial space.

“The re-development of an existing building embodies Acorn Green’s principles: our commitment to the implementation of the best possible design and technologies to further drive down the carbon footprint of our homes. It also speaks to our commitment to creating local communities.”

Dane Cummings, managing director and head of commercial property at Acorn Property Group, said: “Alliance House has been a great regeneration scheme in Bristol. For Acorn it is all about partnerships: having delivered numerous commercial properties over the years it is an exciting and key part of a project when a new partner, like Society Café, comes on board.

“For Alliance House the arrival of the newest branch of Society Café will enable residents and businesses to build a community and ‘live local’. The UK has very much embraced café culture and living locally, something that Society Café very much embodies, and we are seeing increased demand for local and community orientated commercial space.”

Campbell-Howard added: “Our passion has always been looking after people and Society Café was born and has grown from that. Following the first sites in Bath we opened Bristol Harbourside in 2017, so nearly 5 years ago, and it has proven very successful and been really well received, which we greatly appreciate.

“We knew that we wanted to expand in Bristol, but finding a site had proved challenging, as we wanted to ensure that it was right in every way, not just about footfall, but also environment and community.”