HighPost Capital, a private equity firm co-founded by Jeff Bezos’s half-brother Mark Bezos, has invested £7.3 million (US$9.9 million) in UK-based chain WatchHouse as the company prepares for U.S. expansion.
According to initial reporting from The Times of London, the $9.9 million is part of a Series B round worth $14.8 million. HighPost Capital, which is based in the U.S., said it led the round in December 2025.
WatchHouse currently has two U.S. coffee shops, both in high-profile locations in New York City. The company opened its first U.S. shop at 660 Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan in 2024, operating as a daytime coffee bar that transitions into cocktails and light bites in the evening. The second U.S. shop opened inside the Chrysler Building in June 2025.
The company has been roasting for its New York shops at the Shared Roasting co-roastery in Brooklyn.
“Our beverage offerings in New York closely mirror those in the UK, with a commitment to consistency and quality across both markets,” WatchHouse Founder and CEO Roland Horne told DCN as the first New York shop opened.
Horne founded the company in 2014 in a small former watch house on Bermondsey Street in London. The business has grown into a design-forward chain with an emphasis on espresso, seasonal food and what it calls its “Rarities” program of limited pourovers.
The company’s website lists 22 UK locations, plus several more that are listed as “coming soon.”
Last year, WatchHouse acquired five locations of French artisan patisserie brand Orée Boulangerie.
Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.
Related Posts
Source link