Salford first as Canadian coffee brand hits England

Canadian coffee and doughnut chain Tim Hortons has confirmed that it is to open its first English location in a drive-through facility on Bury New Road, Salford.

The brand is a household name in Canada, with a heritage going back to 1964, but hadn’t been known for international ambition until its 2014 acquisition by Burger King owner 3G Capital, which is looking to expand.

Tim Hortons UK is headed by chief operating officer Gurpit Dhaliwal, who was previously instrumental in pizza brand Domino’s UK growth. Using a similar franchising model, Tim Hortons entered the UK market with openings in Cardiff and Glasgow earlier this year, with a second Glasgow outlet due to open this month.

The brand is now said to also be close to agreeing a deal on a flagship site in Manchester city centre, and on its website is currently advertising positions in Sale, Warrington, Bury and Altrincham, where it is to move into the Cross Street unit formerly occupied by Pizza Hut.

Kevin Hydes, who spent 11 years overseeing Costa’s marketing function as it grew to become the UK’s largest coffee chain, was appointed in the summer as the group’s chief finance and commercial officer in the UK.

Hydes, who also oversaw Costa’s international expansion through franchising, said of the Salford opening: “The Tim Hortons Drive Thru is a major part of Canadian culture, and we think the UK is going to love it.

“The buzz around our recent Glasgow and Cardiff openings was phenomenal, and we couldn’t be more excited to open our first drive thru, and our first restaurant in England.”