A new operator for space formerly occupied by the popular Milk & Sugar cafe at the One Central Square office building in the centre of Cardiff has been secured. Co-working and business support venture Tramshed Tech is diversifying with the launch of a new coffee shop venture in the 135,000 sq ft building’s ground floor.
Known as Da (Welsh word for good) it will initially serve staff working for existing tenants in the building, that include law firm Blake Morgan, Hodge Bank and vehicle finance venture MotoNovo, as well as members of Tramshed Tech’s growing network of co-working spaces in South Wales.
As part of a phased approach it will be opened up to the public . It will provide a sit down, takeaway and click and collect menu. It is scheduled to open at the end of the month.
Tramshed Tech, whose co-working space can been rented for just a day with longer-term flexible leases with dedicated space for tech firms, opened its first venue just yards away for One Central Square in the Grangetown of Cardiff in 2017. Its other locations now include those in Barry (Goodsheds) and at Griffin Place in the centre of Newport. As part of its continued expansion it will soon open a new venue, the Innovation Centre in Newport, and later this year its first co-working location in Swansea at the city’s historic Place Theatre, whose restoration has been overseen by Swansea Council.
Tramshed Tech currently has over 2,500 members and around 70 firms across it sites. Its members also have access to tech spaces in Bristol and London under reciprocal arrangements.
It also provides space in One Central Square for cyber and technology firms as part of the cyber cluster being backed by the Cardiff Capital Region and the Welsh Government.
On its expansion into the food and beverage sector, Tramshed Tech co-founder and chief operating officer Mark John, said: “Da is part of the Tramshed Tech community and soon to be Cardiff’s newest coffee shop. We are taking a phased approach to opening which means that, initially, we’ll be open to Tramshed Tech members and our One Central Square community - looking after Central Square tenants and our Tramshed network.”
He said the goal is to expand the Da coffee shop brand to other Tramshed Tech venues and potentially at stand alone locations.
The space at One Central Square, whose marketing agent is property advisory firm Knight Frank, had been vacant since April last year after Milk & Sugar ceased trading from the building. Milk & Sugar maintains a number of existing outlets in Cardiff with one also at Merthyr’s bus station
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