Companies

Java plans to open three more outlets in Rwanda

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A Java branch in Nairobi. FILE PHOTO | NMG

Chain restaurant Java House Group is set to open three additional stores in the next six months in Rwanda as it kicks off an aggressive plan to grow its Africa footprint over the next three years.

The coffee chain plans to open two additional branches and an outlet of its other brand, 360 Degrees Artisan Pizza — an upmarket Italian pizzeria concept —within Kigali.

Java opened its first branch in Rwanda in January last year.

The firm runs coffee outlets under Java House as well as 360 Degrees Pizza and Planet Yoghurt brands.

Chief executive officer Paul Smith said the company plans to more than double its branches in Uganda to between 10 and 15 branches over the next three years. The chain restaurant currently has six branches spread across Kampala, Jinja and Entebbe.

“We are increasing our presence in Rwanda and we are going to move from one to four branches in over the next six months. And we are looking into growing our footprint in Uganda to 10 to 15 branches,” Mr Smith told the Business Daily.

“We set aside about Sh1 billion for the expansion plans for this year in capital, money that will be used to do a number of things including setting up new branches and improving our IT systems,” he said.

The group also has plans to open stores in Nigeria and to take franchise model approach in South Africa.

“For Nigeria, we are going to start doing market research over the next six months so that we are well equipped on issues like competition, ease of doing business before we venture into this market. Moving into a new market takes time and if everything goes well we should start operations in a year or two,” he said.

Java is also set to open another outlet in Kileleshwa following demolition of its 10 year old and fifth biggest branch a fortnight ago on claims that it is on riparian land.

This latest development comes in the wake of a distributorship agreement that Java signed with Shanghai-based Conglomerate C.J. Smart Cargo International, a deal which will see Kenyan special coffee and tea sold online across major cities in China starting October.

Java, which opened the first outlet in 1999, has 57 stores across Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda and employs about 2,500 people.

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