Coffee shop commits to city centre trading

A thriving independent coffee shop has signalled its commitment to city centre trading after renewing its lease in one of Birmingham city centre’s most prestigious retail arcades.

Faculty Coffee has signed a ten-year lease for its cafe in Piccadilly Arcade, which is owned and managed by Hortons’ Estate Limited.

Geoff Lam, who owns the speciality coffee and tea shop with wife Lucy, said he was keen to stay in the Arcade, which has been its home since 2013. The couple opened in a single unit before expanding into an adjacent unit after 18 months and the business has gone from strength to strength.

“We’ve got to know many of our customers so well that they are on first-name terms and we consider them friends,” he said. “It’s more than just a job: I enjoy going in daily. We’re all independent traders in the Arcade and we support each other, too, so it feels like a really great community. It makes sense to stay here.”

Jeremy Boothroyd, management surveyor at Birmingham-based Hortons’, said retaining Faculty Coffee helped to strengthen the reputation of Piccadilly Arcade as a home for thriving independent shops.

“Geoff and his team, like many others, have faced significant challenges throughout 2020, but they have remained positive and shown resilience thanks to their ability to adapt to an ever-changing market. Hortons’ is pleased to be part of Faculty’s next chapter.”