Excitement as Oldham’s first Starbucks coffee shop opens

Leah Thompson, 22, from Chadderton immediately abandoned her laptop and headed to get her coffee fix as soon as she heard the shop at Elk Mill Central Retail Park in Royton was open.

Her friend Hannah Clapham, 23, from Royton, explained: “I drove past and thought it looked open and rang Leah and said, ‘It’s open’ and we came here straight away.”

Leah said: “I left my laptop and just came straight here.

“I work from home so I up and left.”

The friends both work from home and are planning to bring their laptops to the shop and make getting a coffee together part of their daily routine.

Store manager Caralyn Tuite says a sense of community and making a connection over coffee is the most important part of the shop.

The 47-year-old from Royton said: “The Starbucks siren brings them in and it’s us that keeps them coming back. We’ve had so many regulars in all the stores I’ve worked at and that’s what it’s about.

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“It’s very much a community-based company and it’s about that connection over coffee. You meet people and make them a coffee and provide them with a nice environment but it's us that makes the difference and with the drive-thru as well it’s about that personal connection.

“I do like a good chat with my customers and that’s what Starbucks is about. I’m either at home or I’m at my home here.

“It’s that human connection which for me is the most important thing.”

Caralyn has worked for Starbucks for 23 years at coffee shops across Manchester and joined when there were just four Frappuccinos on the menu.

When asked how she felt when she heard a Starbucks was finally coming to Oldham, she high fived the air.

“I have really good friends that have come in as customers. I’ve had one customer move with me to every single store I’ve worked at,” she said.

Hannah Clapham and Leah Thompson (left) with their iced Mochas (Image: Newsquest)

Commenting on the reaction she has received from customers so far, she said: “They love it, absolutely love it.

“There’s a SCS store here and one of the girls from there came up and said: ‘Oh my god. I can’t believe you’re here it’s about time’.”

Jessica Calderbank, 25, from Bury was at the coffee shop while waiting for her car’s MOT to finish at her dad’s garage in Royton.

She said: “I saw it when I went past, and I was super excited because I really prefer Starbucks to Costa. Last time I got my car MOT’d I sat in Costa so when I saw Starbucks I was like, ‘Yes’”.

Customer Jessica Calderbank was 'super excited' to see the store had opened (Image: Newsquest)

Commenting on the opening, Alex Rayner, vice president and general manager at Starbucks UK, said: "We are thrilled to welcome the Oldham community to our new store and our first in Oldham.

“Looking ahead, we are fully invested in the UK and giving back to the local communities we serve each day.”

The Oldham store has taken over the former Frankie and Benny's retail unit and includes both a drive thru lane and seating.

The store's team including manager Caralyn Tuite (centre left) (Image: Newsquest)

It is one of Starbucks’s Greener Stores and has a focus on being energy efficient and minimising waste and water usage to keep the environmental impact as low as possible.

Starbucks Oldham is open from 8am to 8pm from Monday to Sunday.

Delivery is fully available to all customers via Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats.

Customers can also order via the Starbucks UK App, to order ahead, skip the queue and collect to takeaway.