Black Sheep Coffee currently operates 40 locations in the UK | Photo credit: Black Sheep Coffee

Black Sheep Coffee has opened its first franchised outlet in the UK. The new store in the AC Hotel 
by Marriott in Birmingham occupies a site previously operated by Starbucks.
 

“We are thrilled to open our first shop in the awesome city of Birmingham. The first of many," said Black Sheep Coffee co-founders Eirik Holth and Gabriel Shohet. 
 

In September 2021, Black Sheep raised more than £4.4m to fuel its expansion, with the chain planning 30 new UK stores by March 2022 and forecasting sales growth of 96%. 

The launch in Birmingham forms part of Black Sheep’s ambitions to grow its store portfolio across the UK.  According the company's website, Black Sheep is also poised to open seven additional sites across London, Edinburgh and Windsor. 
 

Black Sheep Coffee was founded in 2013 by university flatmates Eirik Holth and Gabriel Shohet. The coffee chain currently operates 40 locations in the UK, two in the Philippines and one in France. However, several uk city centre locations remain temporarily closed following Covid-19 disruption. 
 

Black Sheep currently operates three store formats, including takeaway kiosks, cafés and a coffee and cocktail concept. In June 2019, the coffee chain raised £13m in investment from a group of high-profile private investors, which included the first investor in the Spotify music streaming service, Tellef Thorleifsson.