Cheshire could become home to one of the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's first AI-powered coffee shop drive-throughs.
The proposal, submitted by property company Wº£½ÇÊÓƵPG, involves a £12 million project for a site off Chester Way, Northwich. As well as a five-storey facility featuring self-storage areas and co-working space, the scheme would also include and an innovative new type of drive-through run by British start-up Bocca Felice.
The firm has ambitious plans to open 22 stores in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ this year, with the first set to launch this month, and aims to have 80 outlets by the end of next year.
Bocca Felice aims to use artificial intelligence with natural language processing (NLP) capabilities, allowing it to understand and interpret human language. According to information available online, the company's coffee shops would feature coffee machines capable of producing 350 drinks an hour, approximately 20 times the output of a standard coffee machine. The firm says its AI system boasts an accuracy rate of 98 per cent.
The planning statement indicates that the scheme would create up to three full-time jobs and two part-time roles, providing a modest boost to local employment. It also confirmed that the store would offer indoor and outdoor areas for customers to enjoy their purchases.
The proposed development will feature a five-storey self-storage facility, offering 5,797 sq m of space under the Shutter Store brand.
The planning documents reveal: "At the ground floor of this main building, floorspace will be provided for a shared work space available for people to hire to use as a flexible co-work or meeting space. This shared work space use is located adjacent to the reception of the building."
Interested parties can review the plans , citing reference number 25/00889/FUL.
