The Nero Group bolsters UK portfolio with 200 Degrees Coffee acquisition

London-based The Nero Group will seek to scale 200 Degrees across the UK | Photo credit: 200 Degrees

The Nero Group has acquired Nottingham-based coffee roaster and café chain 200 Degrees Coffee for an undisclosed sum. 
 

Founded in 2012 by Rob Darby and Tom Vincent, 200 Degrees currently operates 21 stores across the UK alongside a 500-customer wholesale channel and strong e-commerce offering. 

The business, led by Managing Director Stephen Fern since January 2023, will now trade alongside the Caffè Nero, Coffee#1 and Harris+Hoole coffee chains and its wholesale division, Aroma, under The Nero Group umbrella. 
 

In a press release, The Nero Group said the acquisition is in line with its ongoing strategy to develop premium, high-quality, specialty coffee brands. The London-based coffee group will seek to scale 200 Degrees across the UK, it added. 

“200 Degrees has a solid, loyal customer base and has developed a strong regional position. Our intention is to support 200 Degrees to continue its growth journey and allow the brand to operate separately alongside the other brands in The Nero Group,” said Gerry Ford, Founder and Group CEO, The Nero Group. 

“We are thrilled that the strong market position and growth potential of 200 Degrees has been recognised within the sector, and we are excited to see where our brand can go now that we have become part of The Nero Group family. The Nero Group is a great partner for us with its commitment to premium coffee and its strong values as a family-owned company,” added Stephen Fern. 
 

The Nero Group acquired Harris+Hoole from British supermarket chain Tesco in 2016 for an undisclosed sum and acquired a 67% stake in Coffee#1 in 2019. The group purchased the remaining 33% stake in Cardiff-based Coffee#1 from Welsh brewery S.A. Brain in February 2022 and has since overseen its expansion to over 100 UK stores. 

London-based The Nero Group now operates nearly 800 coffee shops in the UK – 625 of which are Caffè Nero stores. The group also operates 300 Caffè Nero sites across nine international markets, including Turkey, the US, and as the joint venture, Green Caffè Nero, in Poland. 

In December 2017, 200 Degrees sold a minority stake in its then six-store business to UK-based private equity firm Foresight for £3m ($3.8m).