|
|
|
| HISTORY |
|
 |
|
Caffè Nero group was founded in 1997 by Gerry Ford. His vision was to bring a premium, continental-style Cafè to Great Britain. He wanted it to be authentically Italian, serving very high quality Italian coffee and fresh, deli style food in a neighbourhood setting with a friendly, relaxing atmosphere.
In 1997, Gerry Ford bought five retail sites in London and began putting his vision of Caffè Nero into the coffee houses. It took about a year to get the brand right, and in 1998 three more coffee houses were opened in London giving the group eight stores.
1999 was a big year for Caffè Nero. The Group moved outside London for the first time, opening in Manchester as well as being rated "The best coffee house", recognised by UK consumers for having the best atmosphere among all coffee houses in Britain, (the definitive UK coffee report, produced by Allegra Strategies).
By the end of 2000, Caffè Nero had 31 stores and had become a national brand. Caffè Nero continued to perform, winning The British Design Council Award for the best company identity, meaning the best brand in the UK.
In March 2001, Caffè Nero joined the London Stock Exchange and subsequently became the largest publicly listed coffee house company in the UK. By the end of the year, Caffè Nero had 80 coffee houses in 24 cities and towns.
In 2002, 29 Aroma stores were acquired from the McDonalds Corporation. The acquisition of Aroma established Caffè Nero as the largest independent coffee house brand in the UK with a total of 106 coffee houses.
Caffè Nero went on to acquire eight Coffee Republic sites in March 2004, and subsequently took over another four, resulting in a total of 12 Coffee Republic sites integrated into the Group.
In October 2005, Caffè Nero was named the 20th fastest growing company in Europe by Business Week magazine. That same year, Caffè Nero retained the number one position in the UK coffee rankings among coffee house brands, marking its fifth consecutive win.
In 2005, Gerry Ford was also named "UK Entrepreneur of the Year" by the Financial Times, London Stock Exchange and the British public.
In early 2007, Gerry Ford led a management buy-out of Caffè Nero and it became the largest privately owned, independent coffee house brand in the UK valued at circa £250m ($500m).
Today, Caffè Nero has over 400 stores, nearly 3,000 employees, and has become one of the best recognised and most admired food and beverage brands in all of Britain.
|
|
|
 |
| Copyright - Caffè Nero 2008 |
Caffè Nero Group Ltd, Head Office: 3 Neal Street, London WC2H 9PU
Tel: 020 7520 5150 |
|
|
|
