Why we transformed an old Burger King into an independent coffee shop in Llanelli town centre

A new independent coffee shop has taken over a former Burger King in Llanelli and is bucking the trend by opening its doors in the pandemic.

As 20 stores remain with their shutters down in the St Elli Centre, the owners of Coffi Bradley's have taken the risk of setting up shop in the heart of the town.

And it seems that the step is paying off with socially-distanced queues of customers buying takeaways from the independent retailer.

Jim Bradley, managing director of the firm, said they are happy to take on their big name rivals of Costa and Starbucks and added: “I’m sure an independent business can have a go.”

The small company aready has a number of stores, from Talbot Green to Godreaman.

There have been queues of customers for takeaways as the shop takes on Costa and Starbucks (Coffi Bradley's)

And their latest store in Llanelli has a distinctly Welsh flavour and nods to the town’s passion for rugby in its decor.

It is also home to classy lighting and has a stylish interior.

They are having to serve up takeaways at the moment (Coffi Bradley's)

Simon Bradley, co-owner of the business, said they were determined to open their doors despite the current crisis to get their name out there and known in Llanelli.

He said there were currently four out of 24 shops open at the Llanelli shopping complex.

“The place will get a lot better when retail is allowed to open even though it will happen before we can open indoors," he said.

“You can get takeaways, you can see the inside but can’t sit down.

“It’s been very good feedback so far.”

Rugby heroes adorn the walls of the coffee shop within St Elli Centre in Llanelli (Coffi Bradley's)

He added: “A lot of people are itching to meet people and get back to human contact, that’s what we crave."

He says while some days have been quiet, others have seen a steady stream of customers and they have also had queues.

Customers are only able to glimpse the stylish interior as they pick up their takeaways (Coffi Bradley's)

He said it was vital that local firms thrived in the current climate in a bid to give the economy a major boost.

Simon said local businesses will be key in terms of helping the country to recover from the knock-on effect of the crisis.

“There are shops closing within Llanelli and Trostre - it’s kind of in some ways going against the tide,” he said of opening now.

Some of the sweet treats on offer (Coffi Bradley's)

Coffee is the staple of Coffi Bradley in Llanelli (Coffi Bradley's)

“The idea is that we are hopefully setting the stage - it’s always a risk,” he added.

“We have got to step forward. We hope our decisions will have a benefit for our staff and business community."