A new independent coffee company is to open its first Birmingham shop and barista school at The Grand on Colmore Row.
200 Degrees Coffee has agreed a ten-year lease at the historic building after agreeing a £90,000 annual rent.
Set up in Nottingham in 2012 by friends Tom Vincent and Rob Darby, 200 Degrees Coffee roasts its own beans and supplies its own espresso machines.
As well as serving fresh ground coffee, the new shop will feature a 16-seat barista school and meeting room.
Mr Vincent said: “There’s a vibrant coffee scene in Birmingham with a number of good independent operators, who have raised the bar in terms of the quality of coffee being served and the overall customer experience.
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“We believe we can bring something different to the city and we’re looking forward to sharing our knowledge and love of coffee when we open our new shop at The Grand in early summer.”
200 Degrees Coffee is the fourth retail tenant to sign up at the newly-restored The Grand, following lettings to shoemaker Crockett & Jones and bar and restaurants The Alchemist and Gusto.
Owner Hortons’ Estates has invested £14 million in the restoration of The Grand to date, which includes the restoration of the facades, installation of a new roof and remodeling of the shops and offices to bring them up to modern occupier standards.
Tony Green, chief executive of Hortons’, said: “Leasing activity on the retail space at The Grand is gathering pace, with five of the ten units now let and strong interest being shown in the remaining units.
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“The quality of the tenant mix is paramount to what we are trying to achieve at The Grand. It is a landmark building in the city and we want the occupiers to reflect that.”
Ben Tebbutt, director at FHP Property Consultants, who acquired the store on behalf of 200 degrees, said: “The Birmingham acquisition is just the start of what will be an exceptionally busy few years of growth for 200 Degrees Coffee.”
