As Costa Coffee celebrates the 10th anniversary of its first international store in Dubai, UAE general manager Eric Hughes explains why the region is still as important to the firm today
Costa has just celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its first international store, which was opened here in Dubai, at the Aviation Club at the end of 1999. Why did you select Dubai for your first international store?
The Middle East has a very strong coffee culture, with a large portion of the population already habitual coffee drinkers.
Added to that, a large UK expatriate community was already established, in the UAE and Dubai in particular, many of whom would have already experienced Costa coffee in the UK. So it made sense to look at expanding into the region.
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How has the coffee-shop market changed in the UAE since Costa first arrived here?
The competitor environment has changed enormously in the last 10 years.
From a handful of branded coffee shops there are now 260 in the UAE, of which 200 are in Dubai alone.
This is great for consumers, who not only have a lot more choice but will also see that we work even harder to deliver the best possible coffee shop experience.
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