A NEW coffee shop in Abergavenny has brought its owner one step closer to his ambition of creating a chain of outlets across South Wales.

James Shapland, from Radyr, has opened his sixth Coffee1 shop in the town as part of a plan to create a chain of 20 by 2010. One of his shops is in Newport.

Launched on the day of the Wales v England rugby international, Mr Shapland claimed the Abergavenny store made as much money as the branch he has opposite the Millennium Stadium.

He is hoping the shop will prove popular with the thousands of visitors who visit Abergavenny each year.

In particular he's got his eye on the 25,000 or so who visit the food festival. The firm is already thinking about where to put the next shop and Huw Thomas, Mr Shapland's agent from Cooke & Arkwright, is looking for new premises.

He has been considering properties in Monmouth, Bridgend, Swansea, Carmarthen and Haverfordwest.

Mr Thomas said: "We are looking for period buildings with character in prime locations.

"The Abergavenny property is a good example of this and we have the flexibility of being prepared to trade from first-floor premises if necessary." Mr Shapland used to work in investment banking. He opened his first Coffee1 in July 2000.

By the end of the current financial year he's hoping for a turnover of £1.5m. The business has received strong financial backing from non-executive chairman David Jones, from Bargoed, and works for Microsoft.

He has lived in Seattle since 1979.