POOLE has a “different type of coffee shop” after a successful local brand opened in the revived Beales.

Naked Coffee aims to be a destination in its own right at the department store in the Dolphin Shopping Centre.

The local business started at Christchurch Road in Bournemouth in 2016 and has since spawned branches at Southampton railway station and two Bournemouth University sites, as well as a deli business.

Tony Brown, chief executive of New Start 2020 – which revived the Beales brand after the original went into administration – said Naked Coffee was going down well with customers.

“They’re trying out different parts of the menu and the customers are responding very well to it. It’s something very different,” he said.

Naked coffee strikes deal to open store in Beales in Poole

The business, founded by Ian Saul, is known for its emphasis on ethics and the environment, its vegan and vegetarian ranges and for its chic decor. The cafe in Beales offers the chance to sit in an enclosed booth.

“The booths have gone down very well – especially because of Covid,” said Mr Brown.

“We’re seeing both students and people who want to do a bit of business sit in them because we’ve got power and USB points and the store has full Wi-Fi. It’s early days but Ian Saul and his team have done a fantastic job.”

Mr Brown said Naked Coffee would bring something different to the town centre.

“We looked at a couple of brands but Ian and I struck up a good relationship straight away.

“It’s something I felt not only Beales but the centre needed – a different type of coffee shop, something more modern, more interesting, where you’d find high quality local produce.”

He said the partnership fitted in with Beales’ aim of working with local brands more than national chains.

Naked attraction: Coffee brand opens its first deli

Mr Brown said trade at Beales the second lockdown was lifted had been “pretty good” but “no more than you would expect at this time of year”.

“The interesting thing is despite councils and government permitting longer trading hours to help with the flow of customers, customers are coming in predominantly between 10 and 5. The evenings are very quiet,” he said.

“What we saw after the last lockdown was a rush of people but this time, because they’ve been able to buy non-essentials at other stores, the rush hasn’t been there.”