Café Younes franchises
outlets in Qatar and Jordan

Advanced talks for deals in Iraq and Cyprus

Café Younes has concluded franchising contracts in Jordan and Qatar and is in advanced talks for similar deals in Iraq and Cyprus, said Amin Younes, CEO and Managing Partner of the coffee shop chain and ground-coffee producer.

The Jordanian coffee shop, which was inaugurated recently, is located in Amman and covers an area of 250 square meters (m2). It offers a full menu and includes a store for selling ground coffee and coffee beans.

“Besides Cyprus, we are also exploring the UK and German markets mainly Berlin. Europe is a very promising market. In the Gulf region. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are tough markets with fierce competition. Smaller countries like Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain are very promising,” Younes said. He said that their branch in Dubai will provide local franchises to other areas of the UAE such as Abu Dhabi. The company also has a franchise in Egypt.

Younes said that in overseas markets, they prefer to provide franchises rather than open their own branches because the franchisees have a better knowledge of their country. Café Younes offers franchisees technical support as well as commercial support such as helping in selecting the right place. It charges a franchise royalty of five percent of sales. The initial franchise fee, which is a one-time payment, varies from one country to another. It usually starts from $70,000 in addition to a fee of $10,000-$20,000 for each new outlet opened by the same franchisee. “The potential franchisee must be financially solid, have a strong back office, and a passion for the business,” Younes said.

In Lebanon, Café Younes has ten branches and four franchises in Zahle, Tripoli, Jbeil, and Naccache. It will soon have a fifth franchise in Saida. “We enter into franchising deals in remote areas because they know better their market while in Beirut, we open our own branches. Lebanon is always number one for us,” Younes said.