Starbucks seeks alcohol licence for station store

Alcoholic drinks could soon be sold from a railway station coffee shop if its bid for a licence is approved.

An application from Starbucks could see the York Station store sell alcohol from 10:00 to 23:00 GMT, seven days a week.

People can comment on the application to City of York Council until Monday 13 January.

Starbucks declined to comment on the plans after being approached by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

It follows bids from the US coffee chain to license its stores in stations elsewhere in the UK.

The company lodged plans in October to license its store at Hull Paragon Station.

A spokesperson said at the time: "We know that some train journeys are best enjoyed with something other than a coffee, which is why these stores offer single-serve takeaway items such as wine, beer and gin and tonic for customers to enjoy."

It follows other recent forays into alcohol sales for the company, with the launch of Starbucks Reserve Hot Honey Affogato and Expresso Martini in the US in March.

The coffee chain also trialled Starbucks Evenings, which saw some stores serve craft beers and wines later in the day, along with small sharing plates from 2015.

The programme ended in 2017.

Starbucks had 1,168 stores in the UK as of October 2023, according to its accounts for that financial year.

The company stated in the results that it planned to open 100 new UK stores by March 2025.

Its three York outlets are among the more than 40,000 it has in more than 80 countries.

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