International coffee chain Starbucks is opening a new branch in a Cardiff retail park. The coffee shop, which is set to open in the Capital Retail Park in Leckwith, will be the company's 15th store in the capital.
The new branch is opening in a unit that has been vacant for more than two years having previously been occupied by Carphone Warehouse. It will join the likes of Subway and Greggs in the Pod buildings at the retail park and will be situated next door to rival coffee chain Costa.
Coffee lovers will be able to sit in the new venue or have their order to take away, according to a planning application submitted to Cardiff council, with a range of food and drink options on offer. Get the latest news and planning updates from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletters.
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Plans for the new branch come just weeks after Starbucks opened another coffee house in a busy Cardiff street. The unit in Albany Road in Roath, which was previously occupied by Vision Made social enterprise, was vacant for months before it was taken over by the chain, providing competition to branch of Coffee #1 just a few doors down.
The new Capital Retail Park venue will be the 15th existing branch that the company has in the city. As well as the recently-opened Albany Road coffee shop there are branches across Cardiff with four in the city centre alone.
As well as the two branches in the St David's shopping centre complex there are also coffee houses in the Brewery Quarter off St Mary Street and at the end of Queen Street. A very short walk from the main shopping streets you can also grab a coffee at the Starbucks in Mansion House, just past Queen Street station.
Further outside the city centre there are branches in every direction. On the eastern side of the city there's the Newport Road branch in Penylan while those travelling west can get their coffee fix at the coffeehouse in Culverhouse Cross.
In the Bay there are two drive-thru stores within close proximity in Dunleavy Drive and International Drive. Meanwhile, to the north, coffee lovers are spoilt for choice with branches at Cardiff Gate services, Ty Glas retail park in Llanishen, and two in Coryton which are just half a mile apart.
However Starbucks isn't even the most dominant coffee chain in the capital with Costa boasting 16 venues across the city. As well as the branch in Capital Retail Park it has five coffee houses in the city centre including Cardiff Central train station and others in Pontprennau, Gabalfa, and Cardiff Bay.
By comparison there are five branches of Caffe Nero in the capital while there are five Coffee #1 venues in and around the city centre as well as another in Penarth. You can read about the founder of Coffee #1 and his plans for a new £30m business here.
All the coffee shops have some way to go to beat Greggs, however, with the bakery having more than 30 branches across the capital. As well as their famous sausage rolls, pastries, and sweet treats the chain is also popular for, you guessed it, coffee.
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