A former professional rugby player has been able to fully open the latest outlet of his expanding coffee shop business in Bristol, following the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Former Worcester Warriors and England under-20s winger Sam Smith established the first Wayland’s Yard café in the West Midlands town in 2016 after an injury forced his early retirement from the game.
Following the opening of the small chain’s second site on Bull Street in Birmingham in 2018, Wayland’s Yard has now added a new venue on 45 Whiteladies Road in the Clifton area of Bristol.
The café has been able to serve takeaway food and drinks since January and Mr Smith confirmed the business would be utilizing outdoor space at the front of the café to take advantage of outdoor dining.
Mr Smith, who also made appearances for London side Harlequins, said: “Having to stop playing rugby was devastating as I hoped to play for another nine or 10 years, but I’m really pleased with how Wayland’s has progressed since 2016.
“My dream was to create a venue that champions speciality coffee, supports local suppliers and serves up great food in a unique and exciting space, and I’m delighted I’ve been able to do that with my fantastic team.”
The business’ expansion into Bristol was helped by West Midlands law firm Thursfields who completed on the venue’s lease and licence for alterations in December.
Katherine Hall, a solicitor in the commercial property team at Thursfields, said: “It’s always a busy and challenging period when a growing business is about to sign a lease in a new city, so we were delighted to make this as easy as possible for Sam and his team.
“This brand has quickly become a popular and well-known coffee shop in both Worcester and Birmingham, and it’s been a pleasure to help Sam secure a great venue for his third branch in Bristol.”
