The Leicester office of law firm Howes Percival has advised Welcome Break on a deal with Starbucks which will see the global coffee brand introduced to the motorway services operator’s UK network.
Daryl Lant, associate solicitor at Howes Percival, advised Welcome Break on the licensing contract it has signed with Starbucks which will see 29 Starbucks stores opened at service areas on UK motorways – an investment by Welcome Break of up to £10 million.
Welcome Break’s existing coffee shop areas, Coffee Primo, will be converted to Starbucks stores over the next 18 months. Both businesses see great potential for significant sales to many of the 80 million visitors seen at Welcome Break’s service areas each year.
Rod McKie, Welcome Break chief executive, said Coffee Primo stores already sell 16 million cups of coffee a year, a figure he expects to be boosted by at least 30 per cent thanks to the deal with Starbucks. Mr McKie said: “We are pleased to be adding an additional leading world brand to offer the travelling public at our motorway service areas.”
Darcy Willson-Rymer, managing director at Starbucks UK, said: “Being alongside some of the best quality brands in the UK makes this deal a perfect fit for us and is part of our drive to offer the best quality coffee wherever our customers are.”
Howes Percival has advised Welcome Break since 2003 on a variety of legal issues. Daryl Lant said: “As a firm we have been delighted to work with Welcome Break for several years. This contract is significant for Welcome Break and for Starbucks UK. It brings Starbucks into a new sales arena in the UK, and it gives Welcome Break the opportunity to serve its customers the world’s foremost premium coffee brand.”