An entrepreneur who had been attempting to launch The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf brand in the UK has won a £50m lawsuit against members of the Brunei royal family who had been backing the move.
Mark Burby said that he had been approached by Pengiran Ayub, a cousin of the Sultan of Brunei and his wife Pengiran Admit about investing in the venture. However, the money was never delivered.
Burby was awarded £46.9m in damages, plus costs, which he has said he will claim in personal assets if he is not paid.
Burby holds the UK franchise to the US brand and said that the Pengirans had looked to invest up to £7m in its roll-out.
Burby told The Times: "We’re talking about royals who use their royal status to get us to do business. Then they royally shafted us."
Burby no longer plans to roll out the brand in the UK, saying that the barriers to entry are now too high.
