The first Harris+Hoole cafe, the new coffee shop chain backed by Tesco, opened in Amersham this week.

Retail Week revealed earlier this month that Tesco has taken a minority stake in the new chain which is majority owned by London chain Taylor Street.

The coffee shop opened in the Buckinghamshire town on Monday. Its second store is due to open in Uxbridge imminently and Harris+Hoole’s owners are in talks with Clintons administrator Zolfo Cooper to buy 10 to 15 stores.

Owner and co-founder of Harris+Hoole Nick Tolley said: “We are really excited about opening our first store in Amersham. We picked the town because it’s a beautiful, historic area with a thriving community that we look forward to being a part of.

“Harris+Hoole is a warm, friendly and comfortable place for customers to eat, drink and socialise and we hope to create a welcoming environment for the local community.”

A Tesco spokesman said: “Tesco invests to help build brands where we believe we can add value; much in the same way we did with Dobbies, blinkbox, and We7. In the case of Taylor Street, we are investing in the entrepreneurial founders of a new venture and taking a non-controlling stake. The Tolley family will decide the business strategy.

“The coffee industry is growing as a whole and Taylor Street is a successful artisan coffee shop business with a loyal and thriving customer base and we support their vision to bring premium coffee to a wider audience.”