Welcome break strikes deal with starbucks

Roadside group Welcome Break has confirmed its franchise deal with Starbucks, as exclusively revealed in Caterer last week.

The 24-strong group said the first site would open at the end of April at Corley services near Coventry on the M6. If successful, the trial will roll out nationwide.

Welcome Break chief executive Rod McKie said: "Introductions of well-recognised, quality names will only encourage more people to stop and enjoy a break from their journeys."

Cliff Burrows, managing director of Starbucks UK, said: "We hope this will prove to be a successful entry into what is a new market for us."

Welcome Break denied it was planning to ditch its Coffee Primo café brand following the tie-up. A spokesman for the company said it would transform the outlets into Italian-style delis. The first of the new Coffee Primo delis opened in Oxford last week.