POPULAR coffee chain Bob & Berts could finally be on the way to Enniskillen as part of major expansion plans to open 30 new stores – but only if a suitable site can be found.
The Independent coffee shop company recently announced the establishment of four additional stores across the North, Republic and Scotland over the next four years.
Bob & Berts was founded in Portstewart by Colin McClean, his father Arnold and brother-in-law David Ferguson. It has coffee shops across the North, in locations including Omagh and Dungannon with their 17th store set to open shortly in Portadown.
After they recently opened their Omagh coffee shop, the company had planned on then opening a premises in Enniskillen but planning issues previously dampened their enthusiasm.
Co-owner Colin McClean says the business has successfully opened ten new stores in the last two years and they are looking to open a further 30 over the next four years.
“We are now actively looking at sites in Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. We have made a number of attempts to secure a unit in Enniskillen but to date we have not been able to find a suitable site. We will open in Enniskillen as soon as we get a site which we are actively trying to get,” he said.
The arrival of Bob & Berts would bring up to 30 new jobs to the town as each new outlet begins by employing 20-30 employees and their coffee shops open from 8am-9pm.
This would also add extra competition to the local coffee chain market as Enniskillen is already home to other big names including Cafe Nero which opened its doors on High Street last year and Costa Coffee who recently revamped its Erneside outlet.
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