Canadian coffee chain Second Cup has definitely been struggling lately. I have a few friends that didn’t even know it was still around. Personally, I quite enjoy beverages from Second Cup but there are so many Starbucks, Tim Hortons and even McDonald stores around I rarely step into a Second Cup these days. My friend Bahar who is a makeup artist and beauty expert gave me the heads up on the rebrand of Second Cup happening at the King and John location.
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Along with a new logo the store has been completely redesigned. I saw an interview of Second Cup CEO Alix Box on the CBC and she spoke about the redesign in detail. I love that they are trying to incorporate Canadian talent into the Second Cup experience through the music in the store, the baked goods offered and the art work.
I didn’t try one of the baked goods on my visit as I had just eaten lunch but they all looked incredible. I’ll be sure to have more of an appetite next time.
The redesign of the space is more modern and cozy and had a very welcoming feel to it. Set up at the “bar” area are charging stations too – just ask for a wireless charger for your phone, set your phone on the charging station and enjoy your coffee or tea!
My favourite features of the new space are the decor elements like light wood and creamy marble (which actually reminds me of the colour of coffee!), the slow pour bar and the milk dispensers.
I didn’t experience the slow bar on this visit but seeing it reminded me of some coffee shops that we hung out at in Vancouver!
There seems to be a solid and focused plan in place – with all the news of Canadian retailers closing up shop I really hope this reband can save Second Cup and make it a real player in the coffee market again. The new store is definitely a great first start and let’s keep our fingers crossed that the momentum of this exciting change will continue.
If you get a chance to check out the new space I’d love to hear what you think of it! I’m excited to see how the rest of the rebrand will roll out to the other locations; and here’s hoping that more Second Cup locations will start opening up too!
this place looks totally great but the thing that stops me from going to Second Cup is more their flavours and prices. i hope they change up some of their beverages for this revamp as well. it looks like they’ve started with their slow bar concept but i hope the grab and go stuff gets a bit of a lift too.
Hey Jenn! Good point – I guess I’m more of a simple customer – usually it’s either a vanilla latte or a London Fog! They used to have this vanilla honey tea latte that I LOVED but I think it was just seasonal. If you stop by let me know if they’ve changed that aspect.
I honestly prefer Second Cup to any other coffee chain so I am really excited about this rebrand! I hope it does well for them, I would certainly love to see it here in Halifax.
Also I’ve noticed that the location in the Halifax Shopping Center has been selling local baked goods for the past few months which has definitely made me want to frequent more often. I almost always choose it over Starbucks now. 🙂
If there is a Second Cup vs a Starbucks in the same area I opt for the Second Cup. I hope it does well too – it would be a shame for another Canadian company to not succeed! And that’s a great start with the local baked goods! Makes such a different in quality and overall yumminess 😉
This is beautiful! They are really stepping up their game and making everything a lot more modern and luxurious. I’m excited to see how many they end up revamping by the time I come back in May 🙂
Oooh – we can go on our date here 😉
Love the rebrand! Now I have to go check it out. The slow pour bar and milk/cream dispensers are brill
I know – I can’t believe no one has done this before in Toronto! (That I know of anyway).