Introducing coffee sale to retail shop - implications?!

[HelenaV]

Hi all,

I'm not sure this is the right place to post, if not perhaps someone can point me in the right direction?

In any case, here goes:
I have recently opened a retail shop, essentially a gift shop. I would like to introduce a coffee machine, partly to attract customers and partly because I think it would do really well in this particular area.
Where do I find out about what health and safety regulations I would need to adhere by etc?
hse.gov.uk seems like a complete jungle, can't find my way round there?!

Thanks
Helena

 

[Merchant UK]

If you just want a coffee vending machine then you just need to phone up a vending company and they'll come round and fit it for you, and maintain it, no HSE requirements at all.

If you want to buy a big machine to have behind your counter like costa coffee, then you may need to change your plaining consent, from retail to take-away or eat in, so its not the HSE i'd worry about its the Planning permission and what your lease and deeds say you can do. if there are takeaways or cafes locally they will no doubt object right away, so be careful

 

[HelenaV]

Merchant UK,

Thank you very much, I hadn't even thought of that!
It is just a vending machine I would want, so I will get in touch with a company and see if they can advise me also.

Thanks again!
Helena

 

[Merchant UK]

Merchant UK,

Thank you very much, I hadn't even thought of that!
It is just a vending machine I would want, so I will get in touch with a company and see if they can advise me also.

Thanks again!
Helena

Thats Fine, quite a few companies do the whole lot for you, based on what your sales are to be expected, they come and clean and refill normally on a weekly basis so you wouldn't need to worry about HSE or anything like that.

Let us know how you got on

 

[Vending Siting Services]

Hello

Buy a Flavia coffee vending machine. We have purchased several over the years and the Flavia is the best one in my opinion. Great range of coffees, teas, the finest hot chocolate and very compact. Looks modern and easy to use.

Look on eBay to see if you can get a second hand one or see if there is a local rep who will supply one foc and you just buy the sachets.

I have nothing to do with Flavia - just my opinion and experience.

Kind regards.

Barbara

 

[ThePublisher]

I've never gone into a gift shop and felt a desperate need to buy coffee from a vending machine.

Are you planning on having tables and chairs where people can sit and drink their coffee (planning issue?), or will they be walking it round the shop, fingers burning, dropping it on your carpets and stock?

This just seems a really odd idea to me. Wouldn't a display unit with nice things to buy bring you more profit than the space occupied by a vending machine?

 

[Chris Ashdown]

I agree with The Publisher a strange choice to make and bound to get messey and take up quite a lot of space, A cooler with soft drink bottles / cans on the other hand would be a far better choice and make more sales

 

[ThePublisher]

I agree with The Publisher a strange choice to make and bound to get messey and take up quite a lot of space, A cooler with soft drink bottles / cans on the other hand would be a far better choice and make more sales

Again, why would I want to buy a bottle of coke in a gift shop?

 

[Chris Ashdown]

Plenty of shops sell take away drinks as a impulse buy and gift shops are where tourists go in great numbers

 

[ThePublisher]

Oh I see your drift, I wasn't thinking tourist gift shop.

 

[matilda duck]

Slightly the same. I have an alternative shop, while serving one day I asked a couple who were browsing if they would like a drink as the kettle had just boiled. Thought they would take longer to look and therefore potentially more sales. This worked for them so i started offering others. The only problem now is, i am more like a drop in centre. People will come almost expecting a cuppa. A few tines i have said the kettle is broken :-( I am not trying to put you off but please bear this on mind.

 

[Sobie]

Slightly the same. I have an alternative shop, while serving one day I asked a couple who were browsing if they would like a drink as the kettle had just boiled. Thought they would take longer to look and therefore potentially more sales. This worked for them so i started offering others. The only problem now is, i am more like a drop in centre. People will come almost expecting a cuppa. A few tines i have said the kettle is broken :-( I am not trying to put you off but please bear this on mind.

hahaha that sounds just like my mum, she now makes all sorts of daft excuses up like "we've got no electric" when all the lights & tills are on!

 

[jamesbarnett259]

Hey guys,
I want to have a real coffee machine in a new shop I am setting up selling posters in East London. I don't want a vending machine but rather a real Italian coffee machine where we have a trained barista who makes real coffee. Do I need a Health & Safety certificate or something just for coffee? What happens if I sell a few cakes/ pastries?

Thanks,

Ian

 

[Louie]

Hey guys,
I want to have a real coffee machine in a new shop I am setting up selling posters in East London. I don't want a vending machine but rather a real Italian coffee machine where we have a trained barista who makes real coffee. Do I need a Health & Safety certificate or something just for coffee? What happens if I sell a few cakes/ pastries?

Thanks,

Ian

I know up here in Scotland you do. It's just a simple certificate and covers the basics of cleanliness, etc. things like having the correct cleaning materials, keeping a note of fridge temperatures. Although the council are fairly helpful thankfully!

I'd give your local council a call anyway.

 

[lesliedocherty]

We had a coffee filter machine years ago, gave away FREE coffee to customers in the book section of the store, couldn't give it a way for free, people looked at you as if you were mental when they were offered a coffee, i ended up whizzing about smacked out my head on coffee all day, so we knocked it on the head.

 

[jamesbarnett259]

Thanks Louie for the tip- I am going to ring the council now. What happens if you start offering food and does it change if it is just pastries vs. warm food.

Leslie- I think if it just filter coffee that is true but I am hoping that with the current fad for coffee offering good coffee (Flat White etc.) could entice a lot of people and means extra income on top of the shop sales. A lot of fashion/ bookshop places are doing it round here in London and people seem to be buying.

 

[petcummins4]

What is fairtrade to start off with and what is everyones opinion of it?
Just making sure people actually know what it is before they answer thanks.

 

[scologic]

Some councils insist on publically available toilets for disabled male and female. It's actually easier to gift the coffee than run into all the red tape that could hit you if you are trying to sell it..
Make sure it's good coffee to keep us men happy whilst the wife browses for hours

New suggestion to all fashion retailers - a coffee machine at the ladies changing room that'd be bliss.

 

[Chris Ashdown]

What is fairtrade to start off with and what is everyones opinion of it?
Just making sure people actually know what it is before they answer thanks.

Fairtrade is the ability to fool the public into buying something when they think the seller is a noble company

In fact they spend a slight amount of money to a local village to make something like a school or hospital (both small scale) and then pay peanuts for the goods they sell, rather than paying a normal rate for the goods

Not to disimilar to many Charities who rely on free help from the public to keep costs down but then pay the head office staff over £100K stating they need to pay for experts, nice gravy train to get onto

 

[mrabody]

If you are looking to sell coffee within your shop you shouldn't require a change of use. Presumably you shop is currently A1 - as long as the coffee bar is incidental to your business of selling gifts, then you should be able to remain A1. On the other hand, if you were to close the shop, remodel it into a coffee shop and re-open you would have to get change-of-use. On the other hand if you are cooking food on site, you will need to change to A3 use.

Obviously you will need to do a health and safety audit to identify any potential risks to the public arising from the changes to your business.

Also, you may have an inspection from your local council to see check that your food facilities are kept to certain hygiene standards. It may be worthwhile speaking to you local council to find out what they expect from you - it will be issues, like seperate sinks for washing hands or dishes, sealed edges where countertops meet the wall, temperature checks on refridgeration equipment etc. They should be able to provide you with some guidance.

 

[qi0qplk1al]

Hi,

If you want a simple machine that only requires water (which does not have to be plumbed in - you just pour it into the top) why not consider a nescafe and go machine - type "nescafe and go" into Google and it will come up i'm sure.

It has a small footprint - low running costs (just plugs in as normal and can be switched on and off by plug or switch on the rear of the machine) VERY low maintenance and although the profit doesn't come anywhere like close to a costa machine - it is so simple you can be making around 50p per cup if you charge £1.00 - there is a full range of coffee types and tea as well as some hot chocolate and a decaff option.

You can provide stirrers and the horrible UHT milk pots if you wish but there's no reason you can't just buy a pint of milk and offer milk to people if they wish it. Ditto with sugar.

Hope that helps.