Internationally-renowned Japanese confectionery brand Yoku Moku is on an aggressive expansion streak that will see the popular cookie maker open several more stores in the UAE, and expand operations to various GCC locations.
The Japanese firm kicked off its UAE expansion, with the recent opening of a new stand at Emirates Towers in Dubai. Alsa Life Style & Apparel, which is the retail arm of Al Sayegh Group Trading Abu Dhabi, is the exclusive distributor of Yoku Moku in the region.
“We have aggressive plans to grow the brand in the UAE, besides which we will be branching out very soon to the Kuwait and Qatar market,” Mansour Al Sayegh, executive director of the Al Sayegh Group, told Khaleej Times in an interview.
“We opened our first store in October 2012 and as of today we have 15 outlets operational, with another three outlets soon to be operational in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.”
“Yoku Moku is one of the most famous Japanese confectionery brands, established in 1969. The name originated from a town in Sweden called JokkMokk, located in the Arctic Circle. The freezing weather there makes people want to keep their houses warm,” Al Sayegh revealed. “Behind the Yoku Moku name stands a genuine wish to bring warmth to every house with each box of its distinguished delights.”
The Yoku Moku collection offers a wide range of signature delicate cookies including Cigar, Bateau de macadamia, Double chocolat au lait; assortments such as the Double delice, cinq delices, grand cinq delices; and seasonal products that include Eid gifts, Christmas gifts and Valentine treats.
Produced and imported from Japan, Yoku Moku uses Hokkaido-born butter made with pure milk from a vast nature that boasts its quality, flavour and freshness. Its signature butter cookies are combined with thin layers of original rich aroma milk chocolate, and exquisitely packed in special boxes.
“We opened our Emirates Towers outlet in May 2014. This exclusive model shop has added further exclusivity to our shops, and gave us the capability to test the hospitality sector, as well as cater to the tourism sector. The shop at the Emirates Towers, which is on the exclusive premises of the Jumeirah Group, has also given us great exposure to a whole new clientele,” said Al Sayegh. “Of course, we have had the support of our loyal customers who have enjoyed the Yoku Moku brand and its offerings in the UAE. We are committed to serving our customers with our signature taste and with the very best service.”
He added: “When we started in 2012, we had a small exclusive customer base in Abu Dhabi, but today, we serve more than 200 happy and exclusive customers per day — this equates to more than 6,000 happy customers a month. We still see that there is a huge demand and room for growth in the UAE confectionery business. In 2014 so far, we have achieved a tremendous growth ratio of 400 per cent in our outlets, and a 200 per cent growth ratio is sales volumes, which is exceptional. We are well poised to achieve our target of reaching out to customers across the UAE by deploying a one of its kind expansion strategy.”
Yoku Moku has 15 outlets so far across the UAE, starting with Al Hana Tower, Al Wahda Mall, Marina Mall, and Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi; the City Walk, Mirdif City Centre, Mercato Mall, The Dubai Mall, Dubai International Financial Centre and Emirates Towers in Dubai; Ajman City Centre in Ajman; and Al Ain Mall in Al Ain. There are a further three outlets scheduled for opening in Al Ghurair Centre in Dubai, the Al Qasba area in Sharjah and in Abu Dhabi.
“We are confident about the future as it augurs well for Yoku Moku, given the overwhelming response and support that we have received in a short span. In fact, within a few months of our first store opening, we knew that we have to meet our customers’ expectations and open more stores across the UAE to deliver on our long standing promise of providing the homemade taste of natural ingredients, enhanced by 40 years of the best confectionery traditions,” Al Sayegh said.
