Starbucks is back on the growth trail with plans to open 29 new coffee shops in Welcome Break services.

The coffee chain will open the new cafes over the next 16 months following a franchise deal that will see Welcome Break’s Coffee Primo stores rebranded as Starbucks.

Welcome Break chief Rod McKie said the deal would grow sales by at least 30%.

He told The Times he was encouraged by “a new attitude” and “a completely different approach” shown by Starbucks since UK boss Darcy Willson-Rymer took the helm in 2007.

In the past 18 months, Starbucks – a byword for globalisation due to its high street omnipresence – has closed hundreds of outlets globally after many years of rapid expansion.

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