Brains brewery Coffee #1 shops sales rise 55%

A coffee chain owned by Wales' largest independent brewer saw sales grow by 55% as it continues to open new outlets, latest figures show.

Cardiff-based SA Brain bought Coffee #1 in September 2011.

It has passed its initial aim of opening 30 outlets and is on target to open 50 by 2015 and 50 more over the following five years, the brewer said.

Brains said its group turnover for the year to October 2013 was £122.2m, up £1.4m or 1.2% on the previous year.

Chief executive Scott Waddington said Coffee #1 was no more than 10% of the group's overall income but was still a "big growth story".

He said part of its success was retaining the much of the management team at the chain since the brewery acquired it in 2011.

He said: "The business complements what we do. At the end of the day it's serving food and serving beverages to customers, which is what we do in our pubs."

Mr Waddington expects the coffee chain to become an important part of the group's business as it continued to expand.

'Milestone'

Last year the chain added nine new high street shops, taking the number to 35 in south Wales and the south west of England.

Mr Waddington added: "We always said getting to 50 stores was our first major milestone. We believe we'll do that by the mid point of next year.

"And then we'll continue to roll out at 10 stores a year which will obviously get us to around 100 in a further five years' time."