Black Sheep Coffee is currently looking to enlist the support of an IT services firm as it presses ahead with ambitious expansion plans both in the UK and abroad.

The British specialty coffee chain’s chief operating officer, Ben Fenton, took to the professional social media network LinkedIn this week to announce the firm had reopened its IT services tender.

Fenton wrote that Black Sheep Coffee is on the lookout for a technology company that offers a “proven international capability” in addition to “deep retail or hospitality experience”.

The successful firm would also need to be capable of operating “at pace” while focusing on a “clear set of service-level-agreements" and key performance indicators, he added.

Because Black Sheep Coffee is currently expanding rapidly across the UK and various international markets, Fenton said the coffee house wants to hear from technology companies that can aid “a multi-country, always-on QSR estate with clarity, accountability, and commercial discipline”.

With Black Sheep Coffee’s ongoing expansion in mind, Fenton went on to say that the coffee chain plans to “move quickly” in speaking to potential candidates in the technology services industry and ultimately handing a contract to a successful firm.

Black Sheep Coffee is the brainchild of Gabriel Shohet and Eirik Holth, who set up the company in 2013 after sharing a flat as students. The brand is best known for its 100 per cent, specialty-grade Robusta coffee.

What started as a stall in Camden, London, is now a fast-growing international business.

In the UK, Black Sheep coffee has over 100 stores nationwide - with 200 currently under development.

It also has a growing presence in the United States and the Middle East, with the firm actively searching for franchise partners in these regions.

The company relies on a franchise model to fuel expansion, with prospective franchisees expected to commit to multi-branch development, have at least £1 million of cash and assets to make this possible and possess relevant sectoral experience.

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