Coronation Street gets EE shop as partnership deal announced

(Image credit: ITV)

Coronation Street viewers are set to see a brand new shop on the famous cobbles — an EE store.

ITV has announced a product placement partnership with the mobile network operator and internet service provider, which is part of the BT group.

From 20 September, fans will see an EE branded hoarding hiding the shop facade, which is still to be kitted out. The EE storefront will then be unveiled later this year.

In addition, EE employees and shopping bags will be integrated into the soap.

Coronation Street EE Store — Coming up in Corrie: Weatherfield is to get an EE store. (Image credit: ITV)

Says Mark Trinder, Director of Commercial Sales and Partnerships at ITV, “The shopfronts in Coronation Street are the pinnacle of Product Placement on British TV, and I’m thrilled to have EE’s newest retail store on the cobbles.

“While we can’t see the full shopfront on-screen just yet, the team are working hard to build it for the ‘opening’ later this year.”

Adds Pete Jeavons, Marketing Communications Director at EE, “Our retail stores are recognisable on high streets and in communities across the country, offering personal, local service and the best possible customer experience. In fact, 95 per cent of the population is within a 20-minute drive of an EE store.

“So, it’s with great pleasure that we announce our latest store opening, this time at the heart of one of the most iconic communities on TV — Coronation Street."

EE isn’t the only brand to have partnered with Coronation Street. Back in 2018, the soap signed partnership deals with Co-op and Costa Coffee.

Nina sees Imran in last night's clothes. — Retail giants: Coronation Street has previously signed deals with Costa Coffee (seen here, in the background of a scene featuring characters Nina and Imran) and Co-op. (Image credit: ITV)

The Co-op and Costa store fronts currently form part of the fictional Victoria Street, which is also home to the Nazir family restaurant, Speed Daal. The EE store will be located in the same area.

Product placement in commercial television was banned until 2011. The ban was finally lifted after years of lobbying from the industry.

The first prime-time example of product placement was subsequently seen on Coronation Street in the form of a Nationwide ATM installed inside Dev Alahan’s corner shop.

Shows carrying product placement are obliged to carry a 'P' logo to indicate its use.

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Alison Slade has over 20 years of experience as a TV journalist and has spent the vast majority of that time as Soap Editor of TV Times magazine. She is passionate about the ability of soaps to change the world by presenting important, issue-based stories about real people in a relatable way. There are few soap actors that she hasn’t interviewed over the years, and her expertise in the genre means she has been called upon as a judge numerous times for The British Soap Awards and the BAFTA TV Awards.

When she is not writing about soaps, watching soaps, or interviewing people who are in soaps, she loves going to the theatre, taking a long walk or pottering about at home, obsessing over Farrow and Ball paint.