Caravan to open first site outside of London in Manchester this summer

Caravan founders Chris Ammermann (left), Miles Kirby (centre) and Laura Harper-Hinton (right) | Photo credit: Caravan

UK specialty coffee roaster and hospitality group Caravan will open its first site outside of London this summer – an all-day dining venue and roastery at the St John’s mixed-use development in Manchester. 
 

Caravan currently operates eight outlets, three coffee brew bars and a 10,000sq ft roastery in London, alongside established wholesale, subscription and e-commerce channels.  

The Manchester site will feature two all-day dining rooms, a bar, a private dining room, two outdoor terraces and a take-away coffee brew bar. Caravan will also establish a roastery at the site to cater to horeca businesses across the north of England. 

“We are so excited to be taking Caravan on the road to Manchester, but more importantly, we are really looking forward to spending more time in this incredible city. We hope to attract a real cross-section of the city to our beautiful new restaurant and roastery,” said Laura Harper Hinton, CEO, Caravan. 

In September 2022, Caravan said its all-day trading capabilities would position it well for expansion outside London. The group said its short-term growth will be conducted in a ‘mindful, yet ambitious way’, with further London-based and regional stores in the pipeline. 
 

World Coffee Portal’s Project Café UK 2024 report found that more than a third of industry leaders surveyed consider the growth of specialty coffee to be one of the most important consumer trends currently affecting the UK coffee shop market.  

Several UK specialty coffee groups have expanded regionally within the last 12 months to cater to rising consumer and wholesale demand. 

London-based WatchHouse opened its first site outside of London in Bath in July 2023, while specialty coffee roaster Origin Coffee opened a store in Bristol in the following September – adding to its two stores in Cornwall and three in London. Origin Coffee is also set to open its first outlet in Edinburgh this spring. 

Additionally, New Zealand’s Allpress Espresso opened a 2,500sq ft site café and training hub in Manchester’s NOMA business and entertainment district in September 2023, complementing its two UK coffee shops and roastery in London. 

Premium coffee shops have also expanded regionally in the UK with boutique café group EL&N following its December 2022 launch in Edinburgh with stores in Manchester and Birmingham in May 2023 and March 2024 respectively. Having rapidly expanded in London following its June 2022 debut, US premium coffee chain Blank Street also chose Manchester to kickstart its UK regional expansion with an outlet in December 2023. Blank Street will also open a store in Birmingham this year.