Northern Irish coffee shops are coming to China

A chain of coffee shops in Northern Ireland is set to expand its network further afield by expanding in China.

Based in Lisburn, The Pure Coffee Company has just signed a deal to gradually double their workforce by opening up high-end coffee shops across China over the next year or so.

File photo of coffee beans [Photo: AP]

They began their expansion last month when they opened a store at a major shopping mall in Shanghai. This will be followed soon by the opening of one in Hangzhou and hopefully 50 more coffee shops in supermarkets over the next year.

Coffee roaster and managing director Martin Symington has established himself as one of the best in his field and has formed successful partnerships with some of UK's front-runners in the market.

The Pure Coffee Company is the latest in a number of international coffee chains to seek to expand in the Chinese market.

For example, late in 2016, we reported that British coffee chain Costa, owned by the Whitbread group, has invested £35 million in buying a 49 percent share in some of its Chinese stores.

The 252 stores in the South of China had previously been operated jointly with local partner Yueda.

Costa is the second biggest coffee chain in China and it sees huge potential for growth in the country.