Australian café to hire 1,900 in UAE, GCC

Australian café The Coffee Club has announced an expansion plan in the UAE and the GCC over the next few years that will see it hire more than 1,900 staff to operate its nearly 100 outlets across the region.

“We plan to open 45 outlets in the UAE over the next 4 years and a further 50 outlets in the GCC in the next 5 years,” said Abdulla Nasser Al Mansoori, Chairman of Al Nasser Holdings and Board Member of Liwa Minor Food and Beverages, which owns the regional franchise.

Liwa Minor Food and Beverages is a joint venture between Al Nasser Holdings and The Minor Food Group.

The company, which employs more than 6,000 staff, will hire an additional 1,900 staff – 900 in the UAE and 1,000 in other GCC countries – including chefs and service and management team members for its UAE and Gulf operations.

“Each outlet requires a minimum of 20 staff to operate. We have a fully-fledged kitchen so we require chefs additional to our baristas, service team and management,” said Al Mansoori.

Dubai-based investment bank Alpen Capital said in a recent report that total retail sales in the GCC are expected to grow 6.8 per cent year-on-year to $213.4 billion in 2014 with the food retail sales anticipated to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 7.7 per cent between 2013 and 2018.

The first Coffee Club outlet in the UAE opened in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi, with the next scheduled to open at the upcoming Wasl Vita Mall in Dubai.

“We have already signed Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque which is iconic and will give us great exposure throughout the GCC. The super-regional malls are definitely a strategic target for us however we will also be looking for lifestyle precincts where commercial and residential site together.

Any locations that attract large tourist numbers will also be a target,” he added.

Paul C. Kenny, CEO of The Minor Food Group, said the UAE is home to nearly 7,000 Australian expatriates and the Gulf state is Australia’s most important trading partner in the Mena region. The Coffee Club has more than 360 cafés throughout 9 countries including Thailand, Egypt and China.

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