New St Nicholas Square site approved, restoring brand’s presence near Castlegate amid intensifying high-street coffee competition
Caffè Nero is set to open a new Aberdeen coffee shop on St Nicholas Square, a short distance from its former Union Street/Market Street corner site now occupied by rival Black Sheep Coffee. The move will bring the Italian coffee chain back to the Castlegate end of the Granite Mile and take its local estate to three stores.
Planning documents approved by Aberdeen City Council show an investment of about £360,000 to convert the former TUI travel agency, which is relocating. The two-level café will provide seating for up to 74 customers on the ground floor, with additional space on the first floor, and an exterior consistent with the brand’s other city outlets.
The opening follows a period of direct competition on Union Street, where Black Sheep Coffee operates two shops, including one in Union Square near the rail station and another in Caffè Nero’s former corner unit. The new St Nicholas Square site effectively restores Caffè Nero’s presence in that part of the city centre after its 2023 closure.
