Costa Coffee Opens the Doors to City Centre’s First Drive-Thru
The first drive-thru Costa Coffee in Birmingham city centre has just opened at Five Ways, creating up to 18 jobs and forming the latest part of landowner Calthorpe Estate’s focus on creating a vibrant urban village in the heart of Edgbaston.
Following a £1.1million development programme spanning five months, an existing 1,575 sq ft listed building at Five Ways has been refurbished and a newly-built extension has been added to create a 3,064 sq ft coffee shop for Costa Coffee.
The premises, which has been designed to accommodate up to 77 customers internally and 16 externally, has dedicated drive-thru facilities and 11 car parking spaces. The drive-thru is accessed via Calthorpe Road and will be open from 5am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 6am to 9pm on Sundays. The coffee shop is open from 7am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 7pm on Sundays.
Tim Abbotts, director of Calthorpe Estates, said: “The opening of the drive-thru Costa Coffee at 60 Calthorpe Road, Five Ways is not only a first for Birmingham city centre, it also brings Calthorpe Estates one step closer to delivering on our strategic vision for The Village.
“Working closely with Birmingham City Council, Calthorpe Estates is developing proposals to transform this key area of Edgbaston. Our plans support the existing business community by building on the high quality array of niche retail and leisure attractions The Village is fast becoming renowned for, as well as boosting opportunities for prime residential and commercial space.
“The arrival of Costa Coffee right at the entrance to The Village sends a clear statement of intent, which demonstrates Calthorpe Estates’ drive towards putting this area of the city firmly on the map as a premier mixed-use destination and to enhance facilities for those working and living in and visiting the area.”
Birmingham-based retail agency, Redleaf, acted on behalf of Costa to secure the prime site. Paul Bishton, director of Redleaf said: “Over recent years, Redleaf has played a part in assisting major coffee brands as they trial and roll-out their respective drive-thru coffee concept stores.
“A new engine for growth, the drive-thru concept not only meets the needs of the loyal customer base, it will also attract large numbers of new customers who will benefit from the convenience of strong busy roadside locations. The Five Ways Costa Coffee will be unique in having a city centre location and being situated next to one of the busiest road interchanges in the Midlands, while also being next to the affluent neighbourhoods of Edgbaston and Harborne.”
Project manager and cost consultant DBK acted as project manager, employer’s agent, quantity surveyor and construction, design and management coordinator (CDMC).
The Village is already home to a vibrant mix of leisure and retail businesses including the award-winning Simpsons restaurant; The Edgbaston cocktail bar, eatery and boutique hotel; and the recently opened gastro pub, The High Field; in addition to Muse Hair and Beauty.
Calthorpe Estates’ plans for further investment in The Village are currently in the Public Consultation phase. Formal feedback and comments on the Framework are being sought from stakeholders and members of the public up until the end of Sunday 14 December.
Shot: Outside the drive-thru Costa Coffee in Edgbaston are (from left) DBK director Michael Sutton, Redleaf director Paul Bishton and Paul Gillott, building services manager with Calthorpe Estates.