Sainsbury’s has unveiled its own barista-staffed coffee bars in a bid to tap into the growth enjoyed by Costa and Starbucks.
The supermarket has launched six own-brand 1869 Coffee bars, named after the year Sainsbury’s was founded.
In the bars, customers can buy speciality drinks seen in the major chains such as a honeycomb latte and black forest hot chocolate, alongside own-brand pastries and cakes.
Selected stores will also sell hot paninis to cater for the lunchtime trade.
The bars are already live in five stores: Crawley West Green, Cambridge Eddington, Slough, Watford and Alton. The sixth will open in Plymouth this week.
Although only in trial phase, the concept could be rolled out more widely if it proves successful.
Sainsbury’s said the bars would give customers an “instant caffeine hit while on the move”. The supermarket already has Starbucks concessions and Costa machines in selected branches, but this marks its first own-brand, barista-staffed coffee shop.
Last month, Sainsbury’s West Green manager Tony Gagola told The Grocer its 1869 coffee bar had performed “above expectations” since opening in July.
Adrian Cook, director of fresh foods at Sainsbury’s said: “By giving our customers the chance to grab and go a range of hot drinks and snacks at the front of the store, we are differentiating our in-store offer and delivering a great-value takeaway experience. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to listen and understand how our customers respond to a new trial like this.”
In August, IGD forecast coffee shops would yield an annual growth rate of 7.4% over the next five years, to be worth £4.2bn by 2022.
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