The first 1,800 sq. ft outlet will open in Bridgend’s Waterton Retail Park on the 31st July, with a second, slightly larger 2,000 sq ft premises opening on Swansea’s Fabian Way in October. At the end of the year, a third 1,800 sq. ft site will open on Cardiff’s Newport Road. Each of the new locations will open seven days a week until 10pm and up to 110 new jobs will be created in total.
All three sites will be managed and operated by The Magic Bean co, a company owned by Swansea-based Leon Esfahani who started out as a franchisee for O2 and Pizza Hut. Leon is the franchisee for South Wales and the West Midlands for Starbucks and already operates a number of other premises for the Seattle-based coffee company including Cwmbran and Oxford Street, Swansea.
Associate Director at Cooke & Arkwright, Nick Golunski, said: “The UK’s first 24 hour Starbucks drive-thru opened on Dunleavy Drive in Cardiff back in 2008, and at that time, it was a totally new concept. Since then, this concept has proved very successful and has become a model for business growth.
“We’re pleased to have been able to find three suitable premises for the local franchisee to grow his business and enables Starbucks to expand their drive-thru offering in South Wales. Each location is positioned to attract both commuters on their daily routes to and from work, and also casual shoppers and passers-by who have the time to stop for a little longer, so we’re confident that these new premises will do very well.”
Leon Esfahani, The Magic Bean Company Ltd said: “We’re excited to be opening three new Starbucks in South Wales especially as the drive thru was a new concept for us – we’re looking forward to bringing the coffee shop experience directly to our customers in a convenient and more accessible format and giving commuters the opportunity of having a coffee without getting out of their car on the way to work– something that we’re sure will be very popular.”