A POTENTIAL new £1 Llandudno coffee shop could hit smaller independent vendors, business owners have said.

Budget coffee chain easyCoffee, founded earlier this year by easyJet tycoon Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and entrepreneur Nathan Lowry, is set for a huge expansion with plans to open a further 200 coffee shops around the UK.

Although easyCoffee is not due to confirm locations for its new stores until the new year, coffee shop owners in Llandudno have shared their views after a spokesperson for the firm said the town 'would be an ideal location' for one of its shops, which offers tea and a variety of coffees for just £1.

John Jackson, who co-owns the family-run Characters Tea House in Llewelyn Avenue, said: “You do get a lot of people who would want a £1 coffee but it depends - our regulars come in for the quality and the ambience so they’re happy to pay a little extra for it.

“The bigger chains are coming, it is great for local people but it is a challenge for small businesses. If they’re using professional baristas and machines and charging a pound, a small independent company can’t compete with that.”

Ann Hobson, owner of The Cocoa House in George Street, said: “I think it would be a bad thing. It’s too cheap – if I charged £1 I’d be out of business.”

Cllr Carol Marubbi, mayor of Llandudno, said: “It’s all about competition, bringing businesses to the town pays rates and fills empty shops. I sit on the fence on this one – Half of me agrees competition is good, but the other half asks have we enough coffee shops?”

Nathan Lowry said: “The gap in the market is in pricing. The coffee is great. We use the same machines that all the big guys use,our staff are highly trained up to barista level. We genuinely feel people are paying too much for coffee in the UK.”