LONDON, UK – Sainsbury’s is branching into the coffee-to-go market by trialling a new coffee bar at the front of six of its supermarkets.
The bars, called ‘1869 Coffee’ in reference to the year that Sainsbury’s opened its first shop, enable customers to order Sainsbury’s Own Brand coffees and teas, as well as pastries and cakes (hot panini’s will be available in selected coffee bars) to take away.
Run by a Sainsbury’s colleague with specialist barista training, the menu offers a wide range of hot drinks with each store spicing it up and adding their own seasonal specials throughout the year.
In the run up to Christmas customers can get their hands on new blends including a honeycomb latte, black forest hot chocolate and gingerbread latte. Mince pies will also be on offer for those looking for a festive treat.
Mintel’s latest reports reveal that the UK coffee shop market has risen by 37% over the last five years[1] and coffee-to-go is high in demand. Sainsbury’s new coffee bar format will look to tap into this market by giving customers their instant caffeine hit while on the move.
Customers in Sainsbury’s West Green, Cambridge Eddington, Slough, Watford and Alton can already pay a visit to the bars, with Sainsbury’s Armada Way store in Plymouth due to kick off the service this week. The bars will be open seven days a week with opening times varying from store to store.
Adrian Cook, Director of Fresh Foods at Sainsbury’s commented, “We want to help all of our customers to live well for less and as part of this we’re continually looking at new ways to be there for our customers, providing a range of convenient and high quality services at their fingertips.
“By giving our customers the chance to grab and go a range of hot drinks and snacks at the front of the store, we are differentiating our in-store offer and delivering a great value takeaway experience. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to listen and understand how our customers respond to a new trial like this.”
