The ribbon has been cut on a brand-new coffee shop at Central England Co-op’s £3 million flagship site in Lichfield creating 10 new jobs and boosting the offer to the local community in the Boley Park area of the city.
The Insomnia Coffee Company outlet is its first in Staffordshire and offers a takeaway service and outdoor dining, in line with Government guidance, before it is hoped it can open fully to customers in the summer as restrictions ease.
Insomnia is Ireland’s leading independent coffee shop chain where it was founded in 1997 but has been rapidly expanding into the United Kingdom with outlets across the country, including in several Primark stores.
Central England Co-op has chosen Insomnia as their franchise partner, and the modern and elegantly furbished coffee shop serves 100% Fairtrade tea and coffee and a great selection of sandwiches, cakes and snacks.
The launch event saw live entertainment outside for customers and members as they visited the new shop, as well as a range of great opening offers, with more Central England Co-op member exclusive offers available in the coming weeks.
The coffee shop was officially opened by Central England Co-op Vice-President Elaine Dean, along with local artist Chris Day who designed several pieces of Lichfield-inspired artwork for the shop’s interior.
He was joined in cutting the ribbon by his mum Julia, a Customer Services Assistant at the adjacent food store, and said it was wonderful to be asked to be involved after his artwork for the neighbouring food store proved a big hit when it opened late last year.
Chris said: “I was delighted to be involved in this local project and display new artworks inspired by Lichfield locations and it was great to be asked to help cut the ribbon at the launch alongside my mum.”
Team Leader at the coffee shop Claire Ball said her and her team have been eagerly awaiting welcoming the local community to sample the coffee shop’s delights.
She said: “We are thrilled to have finally opened our doors and we would like to thank the community and all the food store’s customers and members for their patience – I hope they agree with us that it was definitely worth the wait!
“I am proud to be leading a great team here and to be able to offer the Boley Park community a modern and stylish meeting place to have a delicious Fairtrade tea or coffee and a bite to eat with friends and family.
“We have already had some lovely feedback and hope the coffee shop will become a real hive of activity for the community once restrictions ease.”
To keep colleagues and customers safe during these uncertain times the coffee shop features a range of social distancing and safety measures, including floor markers and a hand sanitiser station.
Harry O’Kelly, Insomnia Coffee Chief Executive, said: “We are delighted to open this new store in partnership with the Central England Co-operative. We hope Insomnia becomes a popular hub for the local Lichfield community. Initially, we will open for takeaway and outdoor dining, followed by indoor dining on May 17.
“We take great pride in our in-store experience from our 100% Fairtrade coffee and tea, tasty treats, to our sustainability initiatives. Our philosophy on customer service is simple – we place our customers at the core of the business – when they are happy, we are all happy. That is what Insomnia Coffee Company is all about.”
The coffee shop is the latest phase of the revamped Boley park development to open after the successful launch of the revitalised food store, new petrol filing station and redesigned car park late last year. Two other units ready to house a gym and fish and chip shop are set to open this summer to complete the project.
