Grand Union teams up with barber and coffee house for new bar concept

Grand Union has teamed up with a speciality coffee house and a barber shop to open a new concept called Grand Union Bean + [Cocktail] + Razor in London's Wapping, launching in early 2016.

The pub and bar firm, run by chief executive and co-founder Adam Marshall, has signed Vagabond coffee house, which has three London stores, and male grooming firm Drakes of London to be involved in the unusual new concept.

The 6,500 sq ft venue at Land Securities' new development in Thomas More Square will house a Grand Union bar, as well as an independently branded Drakes of London site over 650 sq ft, and a Vagabond site over 800 sq ft. It will also contain an as-yet-unnamed florist.

Marshall said that he hoped the new concept would be an important part of the future of the Grand Union business, should the Wapping site work.

It is designed to operate in larger sites of around 10,000 sq ft, launched in conjunction with developers, rather than the Victorian pub model that Grand Union has traditionally employed.

The businesses partnering with Grand Union will be responsible in large part for financing the fit-out of their individual outlets but Marshall said he hoped that in return for clear expectations on service levels and other operational matters, the concept would offer a relatively low-risk and low-capex opportunity for them.

The aim is that the barber and coffee shop will draw in customers during dayparts that have traditionally been quite quiet for Grand Union.

Marshall said: "The team behind Vagabond, founders Dainoras and Povilas, are simply at the top of the game when it comes to coffee selection, roasting and operation. They have a strong brand and a great will to succeed. Speciality coffee is so different to high-street coffee; if your coffee arrives to you within 90 seconds it wasn't made properly.

"Drakes of London to us represent masters in their field and we are very excited to be working with the teams at Vagabond and Drakes of London on our new venture. This is an opportunity to be creative in a competitive market and offer a huge point of difference to our new customers in Wapping."

Drakes of London provides high-quality male grooming including traditional beard trims and haircuts in stylish and comfortable surroundings, with guests able to enjoy a drink such as an Old Fashioned while they enjoy Drakes of London's services.

Meanwhile, Vagabond roasts superior coffee from its site in Islington. Its most-prized coffee is ‘Finca La Lomita' - La Lomita is a family-run business in the Valle del Cauca region of Columbia with more than 35 years' experience growing coffee beans. La Lomita's coffee pickers are rewarded for quality, not quantity and receive above market price for their work.

Founded in 2006 by Marshall and business partner Adam Saword, Grand Union is now 50% owned by serial entrepreneur Luke Johnson. It has eight pubs around London. Grand Union Bean + [Cocktail] + Razor will be its ninth.

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