New coffee shop in Strabane to create 30 jobs

A POPULAR coffee shop chain is expecting to create around 30 jobs when it opens a new £350,000 store in Strabane later this month.

Bob & Bert’s, which already boasts 27 outlets across the North, England and Scotland, will soon be adding number 28 to its roster.

Earlier this year, a cryptic message on the restaurant chain’s social media feeds suggested that the chain could be moving into the vacated Café Fresco site in the Pavilion Retail Park, situated next to ASDA.

At the time, co-founder of the chain, Colin McClean, confirmed that plans were underway to acquire a site in the town although nothing had been confirmed.

But a flurry of activity in the premises over recent weeks intimated that a deal had been reached between Bob & Bert’s and owner of the retail unit, William Mealiff.

It has now been confirmed the store will open later this month.

Speaking to the ‘Herald, Mr McClean said, “We began work on the fitout of the premises in the last week of January.

“Following a quick five-week turn around, we should be on course for opening by end of this month.

“It really helped that the premises was a café before we acquired it, so some of the infrastructure that comes with a café was already in place which allowed us the quick turnaround.

“Bob & Bert’s have been looking to open a store in Strabane for the last five years, although we found it difficult to find the right site.

“We believe that the old Café Fresco is a great site, and a reflection of the Bob and Bert’s brand.

“This will be a first ‘out-of-town’ retail park store, and we are excited to see how it performs by operating on a seven-day-a-week basis from 8am till 9pm.

“We have been operating in Omagh for a number of years, and have had customers ask when a Strabane outlet would appear, and, so, here we are.

“We are looking forward immensely to serving the people of Strabane.”

The restaurant represents an overall investment of £350,000 in Strabane.

“In addition, a staff of around 30 people will be employed in the store, and recruitment is currently underway for everything from a store manager and chefs, to kitchen porters and dishwashers.

Independent councillor Raymond Barr welcomed the news saying it will ‘re-energise’ the area.

Cllr Barr said, ”Given the job losses with the closure of businesses in the retail park, its great news that this should offset those losses.

“Any job creation in Strabane is always excellent news, with the prospect of two units behind Lidl also being filled.”