A NEW branch of coffee chain Triple Two opened at the Brunel Centre on Thursday to a long line of coffee-craving customers.

Franchise holder Manfred Barnett, who is making his first venture into the coffee selling business, told the Adver that he was "excited and nervous" to be opening the store. He said: "We've got a great spot here in The Crossing, it's probably one of the better spots you're likely to get, and we've got a very, very good brand.

"There's a lot of improvements happening in Swindon the last couple of years, and I think the Brunel is helping along with the council.

"For our coffee, we have a blend specially made for us. It's unique, no other coffee shop will have the same as us. As someone once told me, coffee's a luxury people can afford."

The Adver reported in February that the founders of Triple Two Coffee had been hard at work trying to spread their success to other towns and cities.

David Hodgetts, director and co-founder of the Triple Two, was also present to greet customers ready for launch. He said: "It's incredible. We've got one of the best designers in Europe to help us design the brand, so every single store will be of this quality.

"Hopefully it will encourage other retailers to open more high-level operations in the town which maybe it needs at the moment.

"Swindon itself has got a lot of great potential. We want to become the premium offer for food and drink in the town, and I hope that this will solidify that."

Triple Two has signed 26 franchisees in the past 10 months and is looking to open more than 25 sites this year.