Expanding into the UK

Tell us about the origins of Coffee Planet and your role…

Coffee Planet was established in 2005 on the Arabian Peninsula – where coffee roasting began – some 500 years before. Our business originally provided freshly ground coffee and fresh milk vending solutions for petrol station convenience stores. In 2007, we expanded into providing solutions to leading 5* hotels, restaurants, catering companies, airlines and offices. 2008 saw the launch of our roastery – taking control of our 100% Arabica specialty coffee blends and single origins. Since then, Coffee Planet has launched international franchising – offering a range of trading options – and developed across the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Asia and the UK. In 2019, we doubled our roasting capacity to a 200 tonnes per month – confirming our status as the largest roaster of speciality Arabica coffee in the Middle East. Our sourcing of green beans stretches across 20 countries worldwide – with all our coffee being roasted in our Dubai facility.

As Brand Operations Manager, my role is focussed on developing our commercial presence across as many territories as possible, combining the functions of the Marketing, Training and Product Development Teams in driving brand awareness and customer preference. In addition to sourcing new investment partners, I manage the existing partnerships across all markets. I also drive the marketing calendar activities for the year, attend various international franchise shows and help in locating and developing our own corporate store operations, ensuring all brand standards are met.

Why do you think Coffee Planet would be successful in the UK marketplace? 

Consumer tastes and preferences are ever-evolving, and with specialty Arabica coffee being the growth segment in the global coffee industry, our high-grade blends and single origins are well-placed to deliver that customer satisfaction, in tandem with our vigorous food development programme. We have a UK development strategy for 2020 that will build on our first store in Cardiff, with a second site secured in the City and other opportunities being pursued in Bristol, Wolverhampton and various rail network locations. We have a UK management base in Cardiff, with Coffee Planet UK gearing for expansion across several cities.

Have you had to consider adapting the model or your products at all to tailor it to the UK? 

The approach to territory development plans is a slightly different challenge to those in other international markets – with the established High Street competition and occasionally modest resources available to hand. However, by regionalising development areas and targeting smaller clusters for investors to concentrate on, we are finding growing interest as we exhibit at shows and open up new discussions.

What are the future plans of Coffee Planet, both in the UK and internationally?

We are currently in discussions to develop new territories in North Africa, mainland Europe, the GCC countries, Southeast Asia and the UK, in addition to growing our presence in both South Asia and the UAE. We are supporting that strategy by investing in new corporate sites within Dubai, to showcase design innovations in the concept and our fantastic 100% Arabica specialty coffees.