Out of Focus

The shelves haven't even been cleared and the

Coffee Warehouse people are in
 

Petersfield is set to have the UK ’s largest coffee shop following the demise of the DIY chain Focus.

The Focus store, in Station Road , is set to be bought by a consortium of coffee growers and transformed into Coffee Warehouse – a venue for buying coffee beans and enjoying a fresh brew.

Ken Cogold, the chairman of Coffee Warehouse, said: “The sad demise of Focus has proved an unmissable opportunity for us. It’s clear there is a huge demand for coffee shops in Petersfield – and that demand is not being met.

“We anticipate giving over half the available floor space to coffee bean storage and the other half to a coffee shop. It’s sort of a wholesale Whittard’s … and we’ll piss all over them.

“There is a small outside area where our customers can drink al fresco and we will be the only coffee shop in town with dedicated parking facilities. What’s more, our close proximity to the town’s railway station means we will expect a lot of commuter traffic early on, so we will open at 6am and remain open until 10pm during the summer months.

“The future of Petersfield is in coffee – that much is clear. And if it doesn’t work out, we’ll turn over the storage area into a charity shop.”

He added: “If anybody wants to buy a screwdriver they can head down to B&Q at Havant where they will find other working-class people.”