Cobra Coffee Ltd has become part of the Southern Co-op family which operates more than 250 convenience stores and funeral homes across the south of England.

Cobra’s 16 Starbucks franchise stores in Kent and Sussex will join Southern Co-op’s existing three Starbucks franchise stores in Southampton and Bath.

The independent, regional co-operative, had previously been operating three successful Starbucks franchises and been looking for new opportunities to grow this side of the business.

Mark Smith, Chief Executive of Southern Co-op, said: “The Cobra acquisition is a sizeable investment for Southern Co-op and it represents an important step up in scale for us.

“The Cobra team will join our existing 4,000+ colleagues in our successful family of businesses.”