Two leading British coffee shop operators announced this week plans to focus their international expansion in the Middle East.
Costa Coffee, which belongs to Whitbread, and Madisons Coffee, an independent coffee bar owner, will open branches in several countries throughout the region, namely Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE, according to the British Independent.
Starbucks, the American coffee shop giant that is too spreading its wings to coffee lovers throughout the globe, already has more than forty branches across seven countries in the Middle East.
Nick Williams, Costa's business development director, said: "Coffee drinking is very much a way of life in the Arabic world." According to legend, it was discovered in the 8th-century b.c by a goat herder who, seeking some energy, ground some beans after watching his goats “go wild” after eating from a coffee bush...
Costa, through a franchise deal with Jawad Group, a Bahrain-based food distribution group, plans to open 55 stores in the region by the end of this year, expanding to 140 within five years. The first store is to be opened this month.
Whitbread also operates Costa Coffee shops in Kuwait and Dubai through separate agreements. According to a Whitbread spokesman: "Costa is one of the few brands in our portfolio that has real international potential. It already gets international exposure because it is present in most UK airports and on... cross channel ferries."
Madisons, also through a franchise deal, will open three of its Richoux restaurants in the UAE, Dubai and Kuwait. (Albawaba.com)
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