Starbucks has secured a deal to sell The Times newspaper at more than 300 of its UK branches.

The pact, which will run at least until the end of the year, began on 30 March.

Starbucks will benefit from the agreement by receiving a cut for each copy sold, while hoping that customers buying the newspaper will bring in additional revenue by staying for ‘a second cup’.

The Times will be the only newspaper on sale at the chain, though outlets located in bookstores will be excluded from the scheme – in order to avoid conflict with newsagents.

The partnership has been backed by a high-profile advertising campaign on radio and posters.

Meanwhile, Starbucks is also reported to be contemplating rolling out its downloadable music service in the UK.

The initiative, Hear Music, was launched in the US in March and allows customers to buy and burn music onto a CD from a library of around 250,000 songs. Details: www.starbucks.co.uk