The Starbucks franchisee has bought a landmark Dublin coffee shop – the kiosk at the centre of Ballsbridge.

Brothers Colum and Ciarán Butler, who run the Starbucks operation in Ireland, are the new owners of the hexagon-shaped kiosk that has traded for decades at the junction of Lansdowne, Pembroke and Northumberland roads.

The Butlers outbid several other investors for the tiny premises, paying €330,000 for what is possibly one of the most expensive commercial properties in the city.

The tiny floor area, a mere 37sq ft, works out to €8,918/sq ft even before purchasing costs are taken into consideration. But the kiosk’s key location was seen as a unique opportunity to promote the Starbucks operation in Ireland.

Declan Bagnall of agents Bagnall Doyle MacMahon handled the sale for a private investor, who bought the kiosk for €235,000 in 2015 and let it on a short-term basis at an annual €15,000 rent. Stephen McCarthy of Savills declined to name the new owner, saying he bought it for a “private client”.