‘Coronation Street’ bosses have struck a new product placement deal that will see a Costa Coffee and a Co-Op supermarket opening in Weatherfield.
The high street chains will feature on screen when the ITV soap’s new set extension debuts later this year.
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The extended 'Coronation Street' set will become home to a Costa Coffee and a Co-Op
The expanded outdoor set will reveal parts of Weatherfield viewers have never seen before, with the shop façades opening for business in the spring.
ITV says other assets such as posters, bags and cups will be “integrated across the iconic soap”, so you can expect to see Ken Barlow sipping from a Costa cup and Rita Tanner carrying around a Co-Op bag for life in the coming weeks.
Mark Trinder, sales director at ITV, said: “The expansion of the ‘Coronation Street’ set has given us a great opportunity to feature branded shop facades as more of Weatherfield is opened up to viewers. Incorporating product placement on this scale is something we have wanted to do for some time and we’re delighted with this exciting opportunity.
“We’ve worked really closely with the ‘Coronation Street’ team to make sure we’ve got a great brand fit for Co-Op and Costa Coffee with the nation’s favourite soap while still ensuring editorial integrity.”
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The soap moved to its MediaCity home in 2014
PA Archive/PA Images
Bosses announced plans to double the size of the ‘Coronation Street’ set last year, following the announcement the soap was to begin airing six episodes a week.
The move is designed to make it easier for the cast and crew to film more than one scene simultaneously.
Executive producer, Kate Oates, previously teased what to expect from the set expansion, which viewers have speculated will allow them to see more of the oft-mentioned Tile Street and Viaduct Street.
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The set extension will double the size of outdoor space viewers currently see on screen
Trafford Council
She told What’s On TV: “There will be a couple of new businesses and we’re going to have a little park area.
“So not everything will happen at the Red Rec… sometimes we say in the story office that if Maxine hadn’t died where would people go to think - because it is Maxine’s bench where people have their pensive moments.”
Kate added: “There may also be another eatery with a different kind of vibe. We have already got the cafe and bistro. It’s nice to see a community feel.
“It does well for social dynamics if you’ve got people who were friends who are now colleagues or someone is someone’s boss. It always adds a nice energy.”
‘Coronation Street’ moved to its current studios in MediaCity in Salford in 2014, having previously been based in Manchester’s Granada Studios since 1960.
The old ‘Coronation Street’ outdoor set originally opened as a tourist attraction after the cameras stopped rolling, but the site is now being redeveloped and turned into flats and offices.
'Coronation Street' Continuity Errors
Tim Metcalfe Can't Read?(01 of06)
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When Tim Metcalfe, the biological father of Faye Windass, came on the scene, his new partner, Sally Webster, was shocked to learn later down the line that he couldn’t read. Not as shocked ss some viewers, though, who remembered that Tim first got in contact with Faye over the Internet and via text message, two tools which reading is pretty much fundamental for.This wasn’t the first time Tim stuck out to viewers for the wrong reasons, though, as some fans of the soap noticed that actor Joe Duttine, who plays Tim, had appeared on ‘Corrie’ just three years earlier, as detective Max Carr. (credit:ITV)
Todd Grimshaw's Black Eye(02 of06)
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It’s been very difficult to feel anything other than disdain towards Todd Grimshaw ever since he arrived back on the cobbles, but he managed to illicit a bit of sympathy from viewers last November, when his character was attacked by a group of youths in the street.However, the scenes of his attack prompted a negative reaction from some observant ‘Corrie’ fans, who noticed that producers couldn’t seem to make their minds up whether it was Todd’s left or right eye that had been damaged in the fracas. (credit:Rex)
Mike Baldwin's Secret Nephew(03 of06)
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When ‘Corrie’ icon Mike Baldwin first arrived in the soap, it was established that he was an only child, so you can imagine viewers’ surprise when suddenly his nephew, Danny Baldwin, came on the scene.Still, it did give us more Bradley Walsh on our screens, which is never a bad thing. (credit:ITV)
Bethany Platt's Accent(04 of06)
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Bethany Platt’s return to Weatherfield was much anticipated, not least because of the controversy surrounding her casting, which saw one actress sacked for lying about her age to gain the role.But the question on a lot of viewers’ lips was, if she’d spent practically her entire childhood in Milan, why did she speak with a broad Manchester accent? (credit:ITV)
Ivy Tilsley's Forgotten Husband(05 of06)
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Continuity errors aren’t a new phenomenon on the cobbles, though, and back in the 1970s, the show’s ever-growing audience were shocked when Ivy Tilsley’s first husband, Jack, was completely erased from history.In 1979, Ivy’s husband Bert Tilsley was introduced, who viewers were told she’d been married to for over 20 years… yet in 1972, she’d been seen on screen talking about her husband, Jack, who had been unfaithful to her. (credit:ITV/Rex)
The Rovers Return Loos(06 of06)
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Arguably the biggest continuity error of all the soaps is the toilets in the Rovers Return. There’s a reason they’re seldom-used or seen on screen, and that’s because, based on the geography of the street, the positioning of the toilet doors would lead directly into Ken Barlow’s kitchen.And that's why Ken prefers it when people try and hold it in... (credit:McPix Ltd/REX)