AN independent Scottish café is looking to double its number of outlets to four by the end of next year.
Where The Monkey Sleeps recently opened its second site on Argyle Street in Glasgow, adding to an existing one on West Regent Street.
Director Sofie Ford, who took over the business around three years ago, said trading from the new location has been “encouraging”.
The 26-year-old is already planning for a third and fourth outlet which are also slated to be in Glasgow city centre.
She said: “We don’t want to try and go into a market we don’t know. We feel we know what office workers in the main are looking for and we are getting them through our door.
“There is a lot of potential for two more shops within the city centre and we are thinking round about where the new Scottish Power building is going in and possibly Queen Street.”
The business had a turnover of £195,000 in 2014 and expects to record revenue of around £315,000 this year.
Ms Ford said she expects West Regent Street to grow by between three per cent and five per cent this year with the remainder of the overall rise coming from Argyle Street.
She expects the impact of having Argyle Street open for a full year to lift turnover to close to £500,000 in 2016.
She said: “We were concerned about cannibalising our own customers but actually [West Regent Street] has been as busy, if not busier, than last year.
“You try to pick the right locations but in some ways you don’t quite know how it will go until it opens.
“Trying to find a property where the rates are manageable, is a characterful building and has high footfall is quite a difficult process.”
Ms Ford said it had taken around 18 months of running the business, which now employs 15, to feel there was a model in place which could be profitably replicated.
She said: “With sandwiches the margins are pretty small so you have to manage things pretty closely if you want to run something which is profitable.
“The chains are quite well established in the city centre and [we want to get] people to break that habit to go to a smaller independent place.”
The business is now said to be selling around 1,000 coffees each week and in the region of 500 paninis and bagels.
Where The Monkey Sleeps uses Scottish suppliers including Rodgers Butchers, Dear Green Coffee Roasters, Cakey Pangs Bakehouse and tea company Brewhaha.
Ms Ford said: “We are passionate about food and high quality, made to order products. It is using things that are relatively local and working with businesses we really like.”
Where The Monkey Sleeps also donates leftover food to Glasgow City Mission along with giving the charity 10 per cent of its annual profits as well as any money generated from the 5p carrier bag charge.
The cafes also display the work of local artists for sale at no commission.
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