Sainsbury’s has launched its own branded coffee bars in a bid to tap into the growth across the coffee sector.
The supermarket has launched six own-brand 1869 Coffee bars, named after the year Sainsbury’s was founded.
In the bars, customers can buy speciality drinks seen in the major chains such as a honeycomb latte and black forest hot chocolate, alongside own-brand pastries and cakes. Selected stores will also sell hot paninis to cater for the lunchtime trade.
The bars are already live in five stores: Crawley West Green, Cambridge Eddington, Slough, Watford and Alton. The sixth will opened in Plymouth this week.
Sainsbury’s said the bars would give customers an “instant caffeine hit while on the move”. The supermarket already has Starbucks concessions and Costa machines in selected branches, but this marks its first own-brand, barista-staffed coffee shop.
Adrian Cook, director of Fresh Foods at Sainsbury’s, said: “We want to help all of our customers to live well for less and as part of this we’re continually looking at new ways to be there for our customers, providing a range of convenient and high quality services at their fingertips.
“By giving our customers the chance to grab and go a range of hot drinks and snacks at the front of the store, we are differentiating our in-store offer and delivering a great value takeaway experience. It’s an exciting opportunity for us to listen and understand how our customers respond to a new trial like this.”
