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National café & retail operators with purpose

We are experts in delivering high-quality café and retail experiences in complex, high-footfall environments. With over 85 years of experience working alongside the NHS, we have built a reputation for reliability, consistency and customer-first service. Today, we are expanding beyond hospital settings into high streets, transport hubs and other commercial locations across the UK.

Our approach combines the professionalism of a national café operator with the long-term thinking of an organisation built to last.

Whether operating under Royal Voluntary Service or our new standalone brand, 1938 Coffee, we deliver cafes that are welcoming, commercially sustainable and built for their location.

Explore our offer, our experience and our opportunities.

What we do

We design, operate and manage café and retail services across a wide range of environments, delivering consistent quality, strong operational standards and a positive customer experience.

Our experience operating at scale allows us to adapt our offer to suit different environments, from busy hospital sites to high-street and transport locations, while maintaining consistency and quality across every site. 

We understand the importance of pace, presentation and service in commercial settings and design our cafés to meet the expectations of today’s customers. 

Let's talk opportunities

Our services

Full café operations

From day-to-day management to developing food & beverage offers, we manage café operations from end to end. 

Grab-and-go food & drink

Convenient options designed for customers who need quality food and drink whether to eat in or on the move. 

Retail services

Retail offers tailored to the needs of the location and footfall.

Flexible formats

From compact spaces to larger café environments, we can develop an approach that works with the space available. 

Tell us about your space
Inside a Nineteen38 cafe

End-to-end operational expertise

Our teams manage the practical detail behind every successful café or retail operation including: 

  • Day-to-day café management

  • Food & beverage offer development

  • Staff & volunteer integration

  • Supply chain & stock management

  • Health & safety and compliance

  • Financial performance & reporting

Volunteers at the counter in one of our Royal Voluntary Service outlets

Commercially minded. Purpose driven. 

Unlike conventional commercial operators, the profits generated through our café and retails services are invested into Royal Voluntary Service's charitable mission. 

That means every successful location can contribute to creating stronger, more connected communities while delivering a professional service for customers, landlords and partners. 

New opportunities

Looking for an experienced café or retail partner? Let's explore what we could deliver together.

Talk to our café & retail team

Are you a landlord, developer, property manager or organisation with a potential retail or café opportunity? We’d like to hear from you.

Say hello