Work turning former Broughton phone shop into a Tim Hortons coffee and doughnut drive through starts

Work has begun on transforming a Carphone Warehouse store at Broughton Shopping Park into a Tim Hortons drive-through coffee and doughnut restaurant.

Agents acting on behalf of Broughton Unit Trust, which runs the retail park, lodged plans with Flintshire County Council in January.

Planning permission has been approved this week according to documents on the council website.

Initial site clearance has taken place and fencing erected ahead on the main contractors beginning work on the new drive-through cafe.

Site clearance and preparation work is taking place ahead of main contractors beginning the conversion

The Toronto-based firm, which is well-known for its range of coffee and doughnuts, began opening stores in the UK in 2017 in locations such as Cardiff, Glasgow and London.

The franchise at Broughton will become its first drive-thru unit in Wales and is expected to deliver between 40 to 50 new jobs for the area.

In a statement submitted to Flintshire Council, they said: “The proposals will strengthen and diversify the food and drink refreshment offer at the park, also providing landscaped outside space for customer use and enjoyment.

“The proposals seek to ensure that the existing customers are appropriately served in terms of food and drink provision, improving customer choice and enabling the shopping park to keep pace with similar shopping and leisure destinations across the UK.

“The proposals will create a number of skilled jobs relating to the refreshment and hospitality industry, much needed in the current climate.”

“Such jobs include managerial, baristas, sales staff, administrative and cleaning roles.”

They added: “Enabling the prompt re-occupation of the unit would therefore have a positive impact on economic growth and local employment, whilst ensuring the continued vitality and viability of Broughton Shopping Park is maintained.

“These factors are considered to be ever more important in the current post-COVID-19 lockdown economic context.”

The company was founded in Ontario in 1964 by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton, who named the business after himself.

It has almost 5,000 restaurants across the world in countries such as the US, as well as in the Middle East, Asia and the Philippines, but none in Europe.