Cafe chain specialist Foodco Group has entered a joint venture to roll out stores in India under its Muffin Break brand.
Foodco has signed a regional licence agreement with New Deli-based, South Asian Food and Hospitality (SAFH), giving SAFH master rights to operate the Foodco-owned Muffin Break concept in India.
The launch of the brand in South Delhi in July-August 2012 will take the total number Muffin Break outlets to more than 260 worldwide (current store numbers: Australia 178 stores, New Zealand 36 stores and the UK 45 stores).
Foodco also owns the Jamaica Blue coffee brand which debuts in Singapore imminently and is to be expanded in China and the UAE.
Said Foodco MD Serge Infanti: “We also believe Jamaica Blue would be well received by Indian customers and we continue to evaluate that opportunity.”
He said the company saw huge opportunity for both brands offshore on the basis of experiences to date.
“We have been successfully operating in the international market since 1994 and we have always had a well considered, conservative and focused approach to our international expansion. I am convinced this measured and careful approach has ensured that both our Muffin Breakand Jamaica Blue brands enjoy an excellent reputation based on credibility and proven success,” said Infanti.
Jamaica Blue currently has 71 outlets in Australia, five in New Zealand, 15 in China and three in the UAE.
In China, Foodco’s local partner, Ware and Kare, opened the first Jamaica Blue café in Shanghai in 2005. Since then, the network has expanded in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Suzhou and Xi’an.
Said Infanti: “In late 2011 we opened three new Jamaica Blue cafés in China – our eighth café in Shanghai, a second site in Wuhan and our first site in Xi’an.
“The outlook for Jamaica Blue China is very exciting and the potential is enormous. Jamaica Blue’s coffee and food offering has been very well accepted by the Chinese, and we expect to see the Jamaica Blue China network grow by 25 sites per annum. Furthermore, we’re pleased to report that the additional cafés will result in additional opportunities for employment in China and in Australia,” added Infanti.
The first Jamaica Blue café opened in Dubai at the Ibn Battuta Mall in 2009, followed by a second café at Medcare Hospital in 2010 and a recently launched (Feb 2012) third café in the Aldar building in Abu Dhabi.
Based on the success of these operations, Foodco and its local region partner, Retail Arabia recently agreed on plans for accelerated growth in the UAE. These plans should see the total number of Jamaica Blue cafés grow to 25 within the next few years.
SAHS director, Parvin Juneja, said: “India is perfect for Muffin Break, which will especially appeal to the nation’s younger professional demographic.
“Almost three quarters of India’s 1.3 billion people are under the age of 30 and they’re seeking high quality fresh foods and premium coffee and other beverages in attractive environments. Muffin Break will deliver this.
“I have every confidence in the success of Muffin Break in India, and I believe it will prove to be a very popular QSR concept across the nation, especially in B and C class cities,” added Juneja.
