Hi Coffee, an up and coming Newport born coffee chain are about to embark on a brand new concept with their latest opening, right in the heart of Newport’s riverside district on Friday.
The new outlet is a 650sqft retail unit located on Millennium Plaza in the City Vizion development with easy access both to and from the city centre, University of Wales City Campus as well as serving the local residents.
It will be the first full format Hi Coffee concept and will include a selection of wines and beers to complement their menu.
The first Hi Coffee outlet opened three years ago on Platform 4 in Newport Railway Station serving commuters departing to and from work. Although based on the platform, the company was going places and embarked on an expansion programme that enabled them to secure opportunities to open additional units across North & South Wales on a number of mainline stations.
Jonathan Hill, managing director of Hi Coffee explains how the business has grown and why he choose the Millennium Plaza as the location for his new outlet. “We have been working hard to develop our brand and offering over the past three years and have come on a long way since we began. Although it remains a strong intention of ours to continue to roll out our national presence throughout rail and travel sectors in Wales, particularly with our marked expansion into North Wales stations later this year, it has been a strong desire of ours to branch away from the railway line.
Opening our first full format outlet has been particularly close to my heart. Not only because I’m a proud resident of Newport, but because Newport is where my business started three years ago, on Platform 4.
Now I am really excited for Hi Coffee to form part of the changing cityscape that Newport has embarked on and to help kickstart Newport’s riverside cafe culture and give locals something they really deserve.”
Dan Smith, managing director of M4 Property Consultants negotiated the terms of the lease of the unit on behalf of the landlord with Hi Coffee. Commenting on the deal he said, “The unit is in a fantastic location in an area of our city that is undergoing extensive redevelopment. Hi Coffee will benefit from the trade provided by shoppers and employees in the city centre, the students and of course the local residents whose numbers will grow as more of the immediate developments are completed. I have no doubt that Jonathan’s incredible drive and sound business model will make this new outlet the most successful to date and enable him to continue with their expansion plans.”