Arran’s Bagels is opening on Bridlesmith Gate this July, bringing New York-inspired bagels, quality coffee and a neighbourhood vibe to Nottingham city centre.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because the arrival of Arran’s Bagels has become one of Nottingham’s worst-kept secrets.

Over the past few months, the team behind the new venture has been quietly building anticipation online, sharing sneak peeks of the fit-out, teasing the brand across social media and even sending a logo-wrapped Mercedes cruising through the city. Now, with opening day fast approaching, they’re finally ready to reveal exactly what Arran’s is all about.

The shop is the latest project from Arran Bailey, Managing Director of ALB Group, whose developments have become a familiar sight across Nottingham city centre in recent years. But unlike most business ventures, this one didn’t start with a market analysis or a five-year plan.

It started with bagels.

“Every time we went to New York, we’d come back talking about bagels,” says Bailey. “It wasn’t really about the bagels themselves. It was how they fit into everyday life.

“People grab one before work, eat one sat on a bench, pick one up on the way home, get one when they’re hungover. They’re just part of the neighbourhood.

“When we’d come back home, it always felt like something was missing. Nottingham has loads of great coffee shops, bakeries and restaurants, but we couldn’t find the kind of bagels we kept going back for.”

The menu is inspired by classic New York bagel-shop staples. Expect bacon, egg and cheese, salt beef and pickle, and a range of traditional schmears, alongside rotating specials and flavoured spreads including roasted garlic and herb and double chocolate Nutella.

“We’d rather do a smaller number of things really well than try to do everything,” Bailey says.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the bagels themselves have become something of an obsession. The team has spent months developing the recipe with a local bakery, refining every detail from texture and chew to crust, size and seed coverage.

“We didn’t want to just buy something off the shelf,” he says.

“We’ve been ridiculously picky about everything. Texture, chew, crust, size, seeds — the lot.

“It’s taken longer than we expected because the bagel is the whole point. If you get that bit wrong, nothing else matters.”

The opening is expected to create around 20 jobs, with much of the launch team already in place and involved in shaping the concept from the outset.

“A lot of the team joined before launch and have helped shape what Arran’s is from day one,” says Bailey.

“Everyone’s bought into it. There’s a slightly obsessive energy around bagels, coffee, music, service — all the small details. Most people won’t notice those things individually, but they definitely feel them.”

Despite joining an increasingly vibrant food and drink scene, Bailey insists Arran’s isn’t focused on competing with other independent operators.

“We’re not really looking at it like that,” he says. “Nottingham’s got room for good independent food spots and everybody does things differently.

“We’re not trying to build a massive brunch place or somewhere designed just for Instagram. We want Arran’s to become part of people’s routines.

“If someone grabs breakfast here three times a week, that’s a bigger compliment than somebody travelling across the country to visit once.”

Arran’s will open in the former Moda in Pelle unit on the corner of Bridlesmith Gate and Middle Pavement, a prominent city-centre spot that already offered much of the character the team was looking for.

When the doors open later this month, the concept will be largely takeaway-focused, with a handful of window seats inside and outdoor benches for customers who want to linger a little longer.

“We love the idea that Arran’s doesn’t stop at the front door,” says Bailey.

“You grab your bagel and eat it wherever. Sat on the kerb outside. In the park. On the train home. Walking through the city.

“That’s what the best bagel shops do. They become part of the place they’re in.”

And if you’ve walked past recently, you’ve probably already spotted the giant bagel-shaped peephole cut into the shopfront — offering curious passers-by a glimpse inside before Nottingham’s most talked-about new food opening officially arrives.