Aubaine, the London-based French restaurant, boulangerie and patisserie concept, has two more London sites in the pipeline and is planning a second Dubai restaurant in spring, MCA has learnt.
The currently 10-strong group is due to open a flagship central London site in the Market Building in Covent Garden in spring and made its international debut in Dubai in December.
Aubaine founder Hani Nakkach told MCA he had secured another site in The City near Cannon Street Station and was close to completion on a site in Southbank.
Nakkach said he expected to open up to three new sites in London this year and was looking in Fitzrovia as well neighbourhood sites such as Battersea, Parsons Green and Islighton, as well as the Home Counties for further expansion.
“We believe we have the potential to double our estate in London,” he said.
Aubaine’s first Dubai site had been trading well and Nakkach said he was planning to open a second this spring.
Dubai had a huge market for artisanal bread Nakkach said there was scope to open up to four sites in the city.
Nakkach said he was tentatively eyeing other countries in the Persian Gulf and had aspirations to one day open Aubaine in central France.
Further afield, he said he believed the concept could also work in Hong Kong and Singapore.
However, with the first Dubai site being the product of a year-and-a-half’s research, Aubaine would grow organically as opportunities presented themselves, he said.
Transport hubs was another area he was considering, but with airport rents surpassing those of London’s prime high street sites, the site would have to be commercially viable, he said.
Nakkach also ruled out franchising, saying that he had been approached in the past, but didn’t want to cede control of the concept and its identity to third parties.
A smaller version of Aubaine, designed for high footfall locations, is also in the pipeline. Aubaine stores are generally 3,000-5,000sq/ft but the compact concept could work in sites around 800sq/ft, he said.
Nakkach said he was also developing an Italian concept with other partners, serving “simple, tasty and fresh” Italian food from 11am to 11pm.
Recent Aubaine trading had shown mixed, but positive growth, with some sites seeing double-digit like-for-like sales and others flat, Nakkach said.
“The market is more challenging than before,” he said. “Having said that, people are still eating out.”
Aubaine was also undergoing site refurbishments at four sites, with one already completed and three more to go.
Aubaine will also see a menu re-launch in April, he said.
