Bob & Berts puts out-of-town locations at centre of UK expansion drive

Bob & Berts currently operates 17 outlets in Northern Ireland, seven in England and six in Scotland | Photo credit: Bob & Berts

UK coffee chain Bob & Berts has lifted its ‘long-term’ growth target from 70 to 100 stores, with a focus on out-of-town retail locations and further expansion in England. 
 

Founded in Portstewart in 2013, Bob & Berts has scaled to 30 sites across Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England with a strong town centre presence. 

The chain’s latest site at the Pavilion Retail Park in Strabane, Northern Ireland, is its first store in an out-of-town retail park location. 

“The move into the out-of-town retail park market is a new area for growth, not yet tapped into by Bob & Berts and we look forward to seeing the potential of this new market,” said co-owner David Ferguson. 

In July 2023, following strong trading across its 25 outlets in the first six months of last year, Bob & Berts announced a long-term growth plan of reaching 70 stores. Founder Colin McClean said he now expects the business to achieve this within the next three years. 
 

“We have the longer-term ambition to be a 100-site brand across the UK. We continue to look for opportunities across Northern Ireland, but our focus is now firmly on England,” he said. 

In September 2023 the coffee chain appointed Dave Rayner as its new Regional Operations Manager for England to lead its roll out across the country. Bob & Berts currently operates stores in Blackpool, Bury, Carlisle, Kendal, Lancaster, Preston and Wakefield.  

Alongside 17 outlets in Northern Ireland, Bob & Berts also operates six stores in Scotland. 

World Coffee Portal research found the £5.3bn UK branded coffee shop market achieved 9.2% sales growth over the last 12 months, expanding 3.6% to reach 10,199 outlets. The market is expected to exceed 10,500 outlets by January 2025, and reach more than 11,600 stores by January 2029.