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Nordic coffeehouse chain Espresso House has appointed Thomas Kelly as its new Group CEO, effective from September.
The recent announcement comes as part of the executive leadership changes made within the company over the past year, which include Kon Meyer becoming Board Chairman.
“We are very happy to welcome Thomas to Espresso House and, coincidentally, are reuniting a proven duo of Thomas and Daniel Sandström, our CFO, who worked together for many years at McDonald’s. Our strengthened executive leadership team brings extensive Nordic and fast-casual experience. I look forward to partnering with Thomas, the board and the entire Espresso House team in pursuing our growth ambitions, while maintaining our commitment to serving the best coffee and food to our customers every day,” says Meyer.
Kelly was most recently CEO of Honest Burgers, a British casual dining chain. In this role, he focused on the company’s long-term growth and achieved a like for like sales comp of 14 per cent and an EBITDA of over 50 per cent within the first six months of 2024.
Prior to Honest Burgers, he was Global Executive Director of Retail and Franchising at Costa Coffee and spent over a decade at McDonald’s, serving as CEO of McDonald’s Finland for six years. In 2016 he also took responsibility of McDonald’s Sweden. In this role he achieved continued consumer growth over nine consecutive quarters and record high sales. In addition to this, he also received the McDonald’s Best Turnaround Europe Award and Best Operations and Customer Experience Award Europe in 2016 and 2017.
“The fast-casual food and beverage sector continues to be filled with opportunities for excitement and innovation. The characteristics that have made Espresso House a national champion in Sweden and across the Nordics present a remarkable platform for further growth. I look forward to bringing consumers in all our markets delicious food and drinks, warm and welcoming environments, all underpinned by our dedication to the fika tradition,” says Kelly.
Currently operating more than 500 cafés, Espresso House aims to continue growing its presence in the Nordic and Northern European markets. According to the brand, it has based its core concept on the traditional Swedish coffee break (fika) tradition, and aims to provide a quality coffee experience to its customers through its Nordic heritage.
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