INDEPENDENTLY-owned coffee shop chain Bob & Berts has reopened three-quarters of its cafés in Northern Ireland and Scotland, heralding financial support from Ulster Bank as being essential to enable it to adapt during lockdown and to prepare for longer-term changes in the industry.
As part of the package, which includes a Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan (CBIL), the bank provided a range of additional support measures including temporary overdraft facilities and capital repayment holidays.
Founded in Portstewart in 2013, Bob & Berts currently operates 20 stores and employs 400 staff.
David Ferguson, a co-owner of Bob & Berts with his brother-in-law Colin McClean, said: “Over the past three months we’ve worked with the team at Ulster Bank on an almost daily basis to establish where we are and to agree a range of measures that will sustain the business.
“Turning the tap back on across all of our stores is a huge undertaking and has incurred significant costs. The support Ulster Bank has provided has ensured the business is in a good place to reopen and has allowed us to resume in-store trading quickly and efficiently.”
Bob & Berts has invested significantly in social distancing and personal hygiene measures, including floor markings and till screens, across all of its cafés. It has also reduced the capacity of its cafés to facilitate social distancing and has undertaken additional staff training to ensure public health guidelines are maintained.
Colin McClean says the cash flow relief was important to help the business prepare for reopening, but it also provided Bob & Berts with the resources to invest in its new app.
“We launched the Bob and Berts app and online ordering system which allowed customers to order for both collection and delivery while our cafés were closed. The response was fantastic.”
He says the new app also presents long-term opportunities.
“Though it was an immediate solution to generate revenue it was always an area of the business we wanted to develop. Now that we have that functionality in place, we regard the app and online system as great additions to our core offering that we hope to expand and grow further.”
Girvan Gault, director of commercial banking at Ulster Bank, said: “Bob & Berts is a fast growth company that has rapidly expanded to become a familiar and welcomed addition to the local high street. It’s a brand that has struck a chord with consumers and the communities it serves.
“We’re pleased to build upon our investment in David, Colin and the wider team with this comprehensive range of support measures which provides financial buoyancy to ensure the business is resilient as it navigates this challenging period.”
