THE first Starbucks franchise in North Ayrshire is set to open in Irvine, it has now been confirmed.
It comes after 10 months of speculation surrounding a move to the town by the coffee giant.
Rumours first circulated around July last year when job adverts appeared online for roles at a site within the Riverway Retail Park.
This coincided with the approval of a planning application for the former Tony Macaroni restaurant - which had closed more than one year prior.
The green-lighted proposals sought to change the use of part of the premises to a coffee shop, something which backed up the Starbucks speculation.
However, at the time, Starbucks insisted there was "no news" to share with regards to an Irvine franchise.
This was the continued message in both January and March of this year when two further planning applications were brought forward for the site.
Both stated that they were submitted on behalf of the famous worldwide chain, with one in particular seeking permission to erect the famous branding.
This month, the franchise opening appeared to take another step forward when an Instagram page for Starbucks Irvine was created.
This teased that the venue was "coming soon" and also announced that the business was hiring.
Application forms are now available on the Starbucks careers website for roles as a barista and supervisor at the branch.
That has now paved the way for the company to confirm what already seemed clear, that the 'Starbucks experience' is coming to Irvine.
Bosses say they are excited to be making the move but do not yet have an official opening date.
A spokesperson said: "We're excited to bring the Starbucks experience to Irvine and are looking forward to welcoming the local community, but we don't have any further details to share just yet on the opening.
"We will be in touch when we have more specific plans to share."
The store will become the second large coffee shop within the retail park with a Costa Coffee franchise located only metres away.
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