Stratton-Morris, who joined Caffè Nero as its first externally appointed CEO in October 2017, also stepped down from the UK board as of 31 May.
He subsequently took up a new role within The Nero Group as chief business development officer, beginning 1 June.
“Will has worked very hard over the past seven plus years to promote the Caffè Nero business in the United Kingdom,” says Gerry Ford, founder and group CEO.
“The board and I would like to thank him for all his effort and commitment.
“As we move into a phase of greater expansion, I’m sure Will’s skill sets will prove extremely useful to the group in establishing new business partnerships, developing our footprint in new countries and securing new commercial relationships.”
The news comes as The Nero Group reported robust trading for the third quarter (Q3) of its financial year covering 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025.
The group delivered 11% year-on-year sales growth across the world with 5.5% like for like sales growth during Q3.
In the UK for the same period, sales growth was 8% and like for like sales were up 6.2%.
Total sales across the group were up 12.6%.
The group continued its new store opening programme in Q3, opening 15 new sites during the period including its first in Saudi Arabia.
At the end of the period, the group operated 1,121 stores across 11 countries with 11,000 employees, serving over 155 million customers a year.
In all, 94% of all The Nero Group’s stores are company owned.
“We have a different model than most other companies in our sector,” Ford continues.
“We are an independent, home-grown start-up focussed on the premium end of the coffee market that now has scale. We own our stores and have built our business with strong foundations over many years.
“I think this is paying off as we continue to grow our brands across the world.”
The Caffè Nero business in the UK will be led by Ford, group CFO Ben Price, and UK managing director Glyn House.
The process to appoint a new UK CEO for Caffè Nero is underway, and an appointment will be made in the months ahead.