FDBusiness.com

Northern Ireland’s largest independent coffee chain Ground Espresso Bars has taken the first step in an ambitious expansion plan with the opening of its first store in Dublin at West End Retail Park in Blanchardstown. Creating 15 new jobs, the new artisan espresso bar & café is based in leading clothing retailer Next Plc’s busy Blanchardstown store, cementing an already profitable partnership with the high street retailer north of the border.

The new café is just the first part of a targeted growth strategy that will see Ground invest some €1.5 million in a bid to capitalise on the developing café culture in Ireland. In 2013, 3,992 tonnes of coffee were consumed in Ireland, with consumers increasingly looking to try out new styles, blends and bean types.

The team behind Ground Espresso Bars plans to significantly expand their presence across Ireland, North and South, starting with the north Dublin café and following this up with a further three cafés by the end of 2015.

Karen Gardiner, owner Ground Espresso Bars, says: “The next 12 months will be busy for us as we finalise negotiations on sites for our new stores and recruit new members to the Ground team. Our success in Northern Ireland has been due to our commitment to quality and we can’t wait to introduce customers to our range of high-quality coffee and locally sourced produce and bring a little bit of Ground to the southern market.”

The new Blanchardstown location will be the third Next store with which Ground has partnered.

Ground Espresso Bars, a family owned and operated business, was established in 2001 in Coleraine. It employs over 140 staff across 12 stand-alone stores and concessions in Ireland.