Cupp, the bubble tea shop in a shipping container concept, is expecting to launch two new sites this year as it ventures outside its Bristol base for the first time, MCA has learnt.
Founder Lee Peacock, who was inspired to create the business after living in Taiwan, is opening shipping container sites in St David’s in Cardiff and Westquay Southampton later this year, bringing him up to five.
It is part of a wider plan to reach 10 sites over the next two or three years, first in the South West, before moving across the Midlands and UK to cities with university populations.
Peacock, who also takes the concept on the road during festival season, said shipping containers were cheaper to set-up than a bricks and mortar sites, were more mobile, and allowed him to target higher footfall sites in otherwise prohibitively expensive rental areas.
He said Cupp also differentiated itself against other UK operators by only making its tea from fresh fruit and milk, rather than powdered solutions.
Peacock said: “As soon as I opened my first shipping container concept at Cabot Circus, I thought I want to have more of these in different cities.
“I’m always looking for more sites. It’s my ambition to roll out. I’ve always wanted to grow it, make it better and progress.”
Before Cardiff and Southampton, Cupp will open its third Bristol site in Wapping Wharf, the shipping container-based leisure and retail scheme.
Cardiff will feature two shipping containers joined together, with windows, in a progression from previous sites.
Peacock explained that while the unusual sites made for a point of difference to bricks and mortar, the costs more or less balanced out.
Peacock said: “I’ve found having a business inside a shipping container isn’t much cheaper than brick and mortar but we own the containers so they are an asset. We have potential to move it if it doesn’t work in a certain location or city.”
On differentiation of the tea offer, he added: “I’ve always thought I should make it with fresh fruit and milk, which is what I’ve done from day one. I’ve always thought would be where the longevity is, I think that’s why we’re doing well.
“We are still the only company that does fresh fruit and milk in our tear, so that’s our USP.”
