Coffee chain details first Scottish sites
● Growth as firm aims for 20 Scots stores, and follows £2m from BGF
A Northern Irish coffee shop chain has served up the chosen locations for its first three stores in Scotland in a move creating 30 jobs as it looks to further top up its footprint north of the Border.
Bob & Berts has selected Falkirk, Dunfermline and Stirling for its initial locations – amid ambitions to have 20 outlets and 400 jobs in Scotland in total in the next four years – with the growth fuelled by BGF (Business Growth Fund).
The company is fitting out premises on the High Street in Falkirk for its maiden Scottish store, which is due to open at the end of September.
Its outlet on the High Street in Dunfermline is set to open its doors at the end of October, followed by Stirling. Other local community focused locations across Scotland are “currently in negotiation”.
In August last year, Bob & Berts raised £2 million from BGF to fund its entry into Scotland and further growth in Northern Ireland.
Under the BGF deal, industry stalwart Mohan Mansigani joined the board as non-executive chairman. He served as
0 From left: Colin Mcclean and David Ferguson with Gemma Hamilton
COLIN MCLEAN
chief finance officer at Casual Dining Group – the company behind brands including Belgo, Bella Italia and Café Rouge – from 2002 until 2014, having previously worked as finance director at Costa Coffee and TGI Fridays and in senior finance roles at Grand Metropolitan and Pizza Hut.
Bob & Berts aims to open a further 30 stores and create 600 full- and part-time jobs over the next four years, including its Scottish expansion plans.
The firm was founded in 2013
by Colin Mcclean before being joined by his brother-in-law David Ferguson in 2015.
The team has opened ten shops in the past two years, with its 18th store opening soon, in Magherafelt, following the success of its first branch in Belfast, which began welcoming customers in May. Bob & Berts is also eyeing expansion into the Republic of Ireland.
Colin Mcclean, co-owner of Bob & Berts, said: “We are excited to be bringing our business to Scotland having spent time immersing ourselves in so many different locations and active communities.”
Gemma Hamilton, an investor at BGF who is on the board of Bob & Berts, noted the “significant” growth in the coffee shop market in recent years, with Bob & Berts catering for “everyone”.
She added: “Each store has a more individual and friendly feel to it than the big chains and I believe that’s why Bob & Berts has been so successful in Northern Ireland.
“It is an absolute pleasure working with Colin and David and BGF is looking forward to supporting its expansion across Scotland.”
BGF has £2.5 billion to support a range of growing companies – early stage, growth stage and quoted – across every region and sector of the economy. It takes a minor equity stake in return for an initial investment of typically up to £10m and can provide “significant” follow-on funding as well as access to its network of business leaders.
Firms in Scotland to have received BGF investing include Keenan Recycling, which secured a £2.2m investment, Aberdeen-headquartered optical business Duncan & Todd Group, and Aberdeenshire pipeline technology specialist Stats Group.
“We are excited to be bringing our business to Scotland having spent time immersing ourselves in so many different locations and active communities”