Costa Coffee and the Co-op set to appear in Coronation Street following ITV's first product placement deal with the brands

GET ready to start seeing some familiar storefronts on the Coronation Street cobbles, in an ITV first, the station has announced its first product placement deal with Costa Coffee and the Co-op.

The news comes as part of a new extended Weatherfield set and both facades will be fully branded and open for business in Spring 2018 with other assets such as posters, bags and cups integrated across the iconic soap.

The new agreements also include digital and brand-licensing aspects for both brands, enabling them to use Coronation Street assets and extend the partnership off-air.

Mark Trinder, Sales Director, ITV said: "The expansion of the Coronation Street set has given us a great opportunity to feature branded shop facades as more of Weatherfield is opened up to viewers.

"Incorporating product placement on this scale is something we have wanted to do for some time and we're delighted with this exciting opportunity.

"We've worked really closely with the Coronation Street team to make sure we've got a great brand fit for Co-op and Costa Coffee with the nation's favourite soap while still ensuring editorial integrity."

First broadcast in 1960, Coronation Street is the longest-running soap on British TV and the most watched soap in the country.

Product placement (PP) was introduced in the UK in 2011 and ITV led the way with the very first PP on British screens.

In the same year the first peak time product placement was introduced in Coronation Street and since then ITV has brought together brands and programmes with PP agreements across the ITV schedule.