Property News - Esquires grows against the grain

Canadian coffee chain Esquires Coffee Houses has unveiled a significant expansion programme throughout the UK, in a move that bucks the trend in the UK coffee shop sector.

The coffee retailer has acquired outlets in Stevenage, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling and Belfast, and has a further 21 sites under offer, with a target of achieving 50 UK stores by the end of this year.

Esquires trades from units ranging in size from 75 to 140 sq m units, and will consider shopping centres, high streets, transportation hubs, sporting and entertainment venues and office lobbies.

The brand was launched in Canada in 1993 and is the UK's only franchise-driven coffee brand. Existing stores include London, Maidenhead, Middlesbrough, Harrow, Manchester and Waterford in Ireland.

Churston Heard has been retained to find sites in the Southeast, Southwest, East Anglia, Midlands and South Wales. Angerman Goddard & Loyd, SY Moorhouse Wright and Wallace Cook have been instructed to find sites throughout the rest of the UK.