New Starbucks coffee shop could be coming to Telford after rival chain Black Sheep abandons plans for town centre store
Telford could be set to welcome a new Starbucks store after a coffee chain which announced a new store nearly two years ago abandoned its own plans to open in the town.
Signs first appeared at Telford Centre advertising the arrival of Black Sheep Coffee in December 2023, while a statement from the shopping centre confirmed the company would be fitting out its store at 222-226 New Row for a 2024 opening.
But the store never materialised for the chain, which has around 100 UK stores and a further eight outlets in the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates.
Signage advertising the new opening was taken down at the shopping centre this week and the company's website has now been updated, with Telford removed from its listings as a "coming soon" location.
Black Sheep Coffee did not respond to the Shropshire Star's request for comment, but job listings posted online this week appear to confirm that Seattle chain Starbucks is set to move into the empty unit instead, with the company advertising for shift supervisors and baristas at the same address, 222-226 New Row.
If confirmed, the new store would be the seventh Starbucks coffee shop to open in the town, after a new drive-thru operation opened its doors on the Wrekin Retail Park in Wellington last month.
Last year, Starbucks confirmed plans to open 100 new stores in the UK, as profits surged to around £22 million for the last financial year. The company currently operates 1,168 stores in the UK.
Starbucks owns and operates around 500 of its own stores in the UK, but the majority of the company's stores are franchise operations. The new Telford store openings have been advertised by hospitality group Queensway, which runs branches of KFC and Starbucks, alongside ibis Styles and the Sloane Club.
Telford Centre and Queensway have been contacted for comment.
