Coffee chain Bob & Berts has reached 30 stores after opening its first outlet in Strabane.
The new Co Tyrone coffee shop has opened at Strabane’s Pavilion Retail Park.
It’s the first time the fast-growing coffee chain has set up shop in an out of town retail park location.
Founded in Portstewart in 2013 by Colin McClean, Bob & Berts now has 30 sites across Northern Ireland, Scotland and the north of England.
The company has been rapidly expanding since BGF pumped £2 million into the Co Antrim business during 2017.
Bob & Berts was last year named among the UK’s 100 fastest growing founder-led private companies.
The new Strabane shop and the recent opening on Belfast’s Ann Street bring to 17 the number of Bob & Berts stores in the north.
The company also has six sites in Scotland and seven in England.
“Opening our 30th store and our first out of town retail park location has been a huge achievement for Bob & Berts,” said Colin McClean.
“We have always wanted to move into the out of town retail park market. When the opportunity arose in Pavilion Retail Park it fitted our profile and size requirements, and we knew there was an opportunity to meet the needs of the community and provide a relaxed environment with affordable food and drink.
“Short term our goal is to double over the next three years to become a 70-site business, with 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 in England.”
Fellow owner, David Ferguson, added: “Bob & Berts has positioned itself as a leader amongst independent coffee chains, constantly adapting to the market and investing in new locations and stores across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
“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.”
