Winning Team

When Olympians Liam Phillips, Jessica Varnish and Fran Halsall joined forces to launch a coffee shop, Common Ground in Altrincham, there was only ever going to be one result.

- Kate Houghton

MEETING the trio of Olympians behind a new coffee shop, Common Ground in Altrincham, is quite an experience. Swimmer Fran Halsall, 27, who competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics is bubbly, giggly and energy packed. Cyclist Jessica, 26, who with team mate Victoria Pendleton set a new world record in the team sprint at the 2012 Olympics, is calmer, cooler, but no less passionate about their enterprise. Jess’s partner Liam, 28, a BMX racing cyclist who represented Britain in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics, strikes more of a midway point; he’s enthusiastic and articulate and a natural for the new customer service role he has adopted.

Opening onto a pedestrian area, facing the impressive Market Hall, when I arrive on a warm September day the tables at Common Ground, inside and out, are filled with people: some solo with laptops open at complicated spreadsheets; some clearly in the middle of business meetings; and some just passing the time with friends over excellent coffee.

It had been Liam and Jess’s dream to open their own coffee shop for some time, plans made prior to last year’s Olympics in Brazil. Fran came into the mix when she and Liam met via a mutual sponsor and Liam introduced her to Jess.

‘We’d found the premises in Altrincham prior to the Olympics,’ he tells me, ‘then just as I was going into the Olympic Village Jess and Fran met up, discovered that Fran also had plans to open a coffee shop and realised that it was a no-brainer for Fran to join us.

‘We chose this location because of Altrincham Market Hall, opposite. I don’t think we’d ever have found anywhere else that ticks all the boxes as this does.’