Second Cup, Canada's specialty coffee retailer signed an agreement which is expected to propel the brand into the international arena. The cafe will be introduced to Middle Eastern countries, starting with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and neighboring countries including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and Syria.
The objective is to open a significant number of cafes over the next five years in select cities, with the first cafe expected to open in Dubai at the end of 2002. "We believe there is tremendous business potential for North American-concept specialty coffee cafes in this part of the world and that the Second Cup's ultimate coffee experience has vast global opportunity," says Alton McEwen, Chief Executive Officer of Second Cup.
The master franchise agreement is with The Binhendi Group, a well-established food and fashion retailer that has been in operation for 28 years and has introduced such brands to the Middle East as Calvin Klein, Porsche, Hugo Boss, as well as foodservice concepts such as La Brioche, Cafe Havana and Japengo.
Cafe employees will wear the same Second Cup uniforms, designed by ROOTS Canada, while local suppliers will be developed to provide fresh, baked goods.
Second Cup is the leading specialty coffee retailer in Canada, with close to 400 owner-operated cafes across the country and select marketing partners including Air Canada, ROOTS and many of Delta's hotels and resort destinations. Second Cup is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cara Operations Limited, Canada's integrated restaurant company. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
