Caffe Nero has opened 20 sites in the Middle East with a further seven openings planned annually going forward, including the first in Qatar, M&C has learnt.
The group has partnered with Middle East hospitality group Al Tayer. David Singleton, vice president – hospitality, told M&C that alongside its relationships with global brands, the company was keen to grow its develop its own brands. It opened gourmet grab and go offer Atrium Café last year in Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and is already working on other brands.
On the Caffe Nero expansion, he said: “The coffee market is still growing out here and Neor has been fantastically well received. We are up to 20 now and we plan to open another six or seven this year and continue at that level.
“At the moment we’re in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and that continues to be the focus. At the back end of this year we’ll look at Qatar. It’s not a huge market but it is starting to emerge with key malls going up where we can secure some units for a good price.”
On Atrium Café, he said: “We have great relationships with our partners such as Caffe Nero but going forward we are keen to create and roll out our own concepts because it gives us the scope to start with the exact requirements of our market, rather than reshaping an existing brand.
“Atrium Café is very much R&D at the moment. There’s a clear gap in the market for a gourmet grab and go offer. It sits in a similar space to Pret. We definitely want to do more but we have to get this one exactly right first.
The group is also launching the first two international sites for New York-based up-market coffee shop Serendipity 3, with openings planned for Dubai festival City and Dubai City Walk in late January and February respectively. Singleton said both schemes had been due to open before Christmas but had been put back because of delays from developers. Al Tayer is also looking to take the brand to Qatar in 2017.
