Australia's 'Coffee Club' arrives in the UAE

Australia’s largest home grown café restaurant, Coffee Club, has launched in the UAE, with its first outlet at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall and a second planned for the upcoming Wasl Vita Mall in Dubai.

The café has launche to mark the brand’s 25th anniversary this year, and has been introduced in the region by Liwa Minor Food and Beverages, the joint venture company of local operator Al Nasser Holdings and Thai publicly listed company Minor Food Group, as its first food brand.

The Minor Food Group PCL CEO Paul C. Kenny said, “With the United Arab Emirates’ diverse, multicultural population of expats as well as its openness to host new brands and concepts, the nation represents an ideal launch venue for our brand in the GCC. Moreover, the easy process and procedures for setting up business in UAE was another attracting factor for us to consider launching our outlets here.

"The UAE is home to an estimated 7000 Australian expatriates and the Gulf state is Australia’s most important trading partner in the Middle East and North African region with trade valued at AED 19.8 billion (US$5.39 billion) in 2012."

Since its inception in 1989, The Coffee Club concept has grown to more than 360 cafés throughout nine countries including Thailand, Egypt and China, and serves more than 40 million cups of coffee every year. It employs more than 6000 staff, and offers a variety of food options including all day breakfast, salads, sandwiches, light meals and pastas.

The company has another eight cafes and restaurants are in the pipeline for the UAE while it is expected to reach 25 cafes in the country within the next four years.