Caffe Nero have won a bidding race to secure a shop in the new university library.

Scheduled to be completed in early 2015, the library space was reported to have had bids for its new outlet from organisations including Starbucks and Leeds RAG.

The coffee chain told LS: “We are delighted that we recently won the tender process to open a coffee house in the new University Library”.

The proposed shop is the first Caffe Nero to be opened on a university campus.

Competitors Leeds RAG were forced to drop their bid for the space before the final
application stage.

The charity organisation told LS that they had intended for the café to support the Leeds RAG Community fund; however it did not disclose he reason for their bid being abandoned.

Starbucks confirmed they had also been in negotiations with the University. The involvement of the world’s leading coffee company follows a Leeds University Union referendum in April that attempted to ban the chain from campus. Starbucks
were unavailable for comment when contacted.

A University spokesperson said: “We can confirm that Caffé Nero have been appointed as our preferred supplier. However, the full tender process has not been completed and a contract is not yet in place.”

The new library is to cost an estimated £27.5m. As well as its new coffee branch, the building will boast 1, 000 study spaces and 170 PCs.

Jack Hardy

Photo: Jack Scates