May 8, 2013 5.10 pm This story is over 130 months old

Fifth Lincoln Costa opens on High Street, two more planned

Caffeinated: The new Costa coffee shop on Lincoln High Street is the fifth shop from the chain in the city, with a further two openings planned for later this year.

The new Costa coffee shop on Lincoln High Street opened on Thursday, May 9, marking the fifth shop from the chain in the city, with a further two openings planned for later this year.

Situated opposite River Island, the new cafe created eight new jobs locally. On Friday, May 11, the shop will have a buy one get one free offer on iced drinks from 2pm to 6pm. The coffee shop will open from 6.30am in the morning until 7.30pm on weekdays, and 8am to 6pm on Sundays.

Retail Development Manager Leigh Calladine said: “We’ve been looking for a site on Lincoln High Street for a while, then the old Millets shop came up. All the staff are local, Lincoln people — we hired them through the Jobcentre and we’ve got a phenomenal team. We interviewed about 400 people, and externally we took on about eight staff.”

The chain is planning further expansion in Lincoln, with two more Costa Coffee shops opening within two months of each other in the Carlton Centre on Outer Circle Road, and Valentine Retail Estate off Tritton Road.

There are now five Costas and Costa Expresses in the city, plus four Starbucks and two Caffe Nero. Lincoln also has a number of independent shops. Lee Calladine added: “Obviously we’ve got competition here — there’s a Starbucks and Nero up the road. I think every coffee shop brings something different. Without being biased, I think our coffee is the best coffee on the High Street, and I do think that the people we hire are the best people to serve that coffee. Ultimately, the customers will do the voting with their pound notes. People do have their loyalties, but hopefully they will try us.”