Birmingham success story Urban Coffee Company has signed a deal to take the last available commercial unit at EDG Property’s The School Yard development in Harborne.
This will be the third Urban Coffee outlet in the city, joining its Jewellery Quarter and Church Street sister venues. Urban Coffee Company has been at the forefront of a coffee-based revolution in the city, following the success of its first emporium on Church Street in the city centre.
This is the fourth and final signing secured at EDG Property’s mixed use scheme, alongside Prezzo Group, Metro Continental and community cookery school Kitchen.
Simon Jenner, director of Urban Coffee Company, said: “We have been looking to expand into the city’s popular suburbs for some time and finding a new home for our third coffee emporium at The School Yard is perfect.
“The combination of old and new architecture and modern design, at the heart of Harborne village fits with our brand identity, particularly as we like to think of our emporiums as being an urban version of a village hall and a major aim is to involve ourselves with the local community. Of course, we can’t wait to bring good coffee and our individual style to the good people of Harborne.”
Plans for the Harborne emporium, which will overlook the new public square at the heart of the scheme, include establishing a programme of events including film nights, knitting clubs and book clubs. Meanwhile, the Urban Coffee team is also planning further expansion and aims to open a further two emporiums in the next 18 months.
Neil Edginton, director of EDG Property, said: “The first quarter of this year has been great for progress at The School Yard – we are onsite with our construction team, we have recorded exceptionally high levels of pre-launch interest for the residential element and we have completed this final letting with Urban Coffee.
“The Urban Coffee offer is a perfect complement to the restaurant/ café scene in Harborne and we’re pleased to have attracted Simon and his team from the city to launch their first suburban store.”
Construction at The School Yard started this month and the commercial units are scheduled to be operational by Christmas. The residential phase of the scheme, which comprises a number of apartments and two townhouses, is yet to be launched to the market, but interested parties may pre-register with EDG Property for the first chance to secure a property.