Coffee retailer Nespresso’s head of Oceania Loïc Réthoré has hinted that a Nespresso boutique could be opening in Christchurch, New Zealand, next year.

Réthoré said the business is doing well across Oceania and the broader South-East Asia region, with several new stores to be opened in the region over the next 12 months.

As part of this expansion initiative, Nespresso launched a new flagship store on George Street, Sydney, styled in part after the historic Sydney area it resides within.

Bronze metal pillars within the store call to mind the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while the Gosford-sourced sandstone walls are reminiscent of The Rocks district.

“[The concept] is about storytelling and going on a sensory journey,” Réthoré said. “This is what we think our consumers are actually looking for.”

The flagship represents a new store concept for Nespresso – one more open in floor space, lighter in colour and focused on telling the story of its drive for sustainability.

The boutique features wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and tabletops made from reclaimed coffee grounds, with all energy being sourced through the government’s GreenPower program.

“There’s a lot of fluidity in the experience,” Réthoré explained.

“There are no more cash registers – all the transactions are done on tablets, so there’s a one-on-one interaction with each coffee specialist… We’ve rolled out this concept in a few boutiques in Australia and what strikes me when you walk [in] is that you hear a lot of conversations… people are really engaged and are talking about coffee.”

The back of the store features a coffee ‘laboratory’, where experts will hold comparative tastings to allow customers to understand which coffee they prefer.

While this is Nespresso’s newest format, it is just one of many in Australia, where the retailer has flagships, boutiques in malls, pop-ups and a self-service smart boutique. Each one is designed to suit the consumer shopping patterns of the surrounding area.

The George Street flagship will temporarily be run in tandem with the retailer’s existing store on Pitt Street, which will be closed early next year.