ICONS Coffee Couture, a health-conscious lifestyle coffee shop chain, is looking to continue its stead-fast growth in the Middle East through its partnership with ABL Company. Presently, ICONS is looking at an expansion across Kuwait with six branches, and the total number of franchises of the brand open in the GCC will touch 40 by 2020. The brand is also looking at a 10 company-owned store expansion in the UAE within the next six months, of which the newest ICONS branch opened its doors at Manar Mall in Ras Al Khaimah.
Since the café concept has started to franchise, its growth has been continuous around the GCC and Europe. Talking about the current speed of expansion, Elena Weber, founder and managing director, of ICONS Coffee Couture, says, “We are blessed to be attracting amazing partners worldwide to build something bigger than ourselves. It is wonderful to be able to impact communities for the better around the globe. We acknowledge the responsibility we have and continuously strive on being the best partner we can be and uplift our ICONS branches to be welcoming, empowering and nourishing, yet fun to be at!”
What’s more, ICONS Coffee Couture has appointed Hassan Jawad as its new CEO, to lead the company through its next phase of innovation and spur exponential growth. Jawad has started to oversee the operations to drive forward the franchise growth worldwide over all continents, including Europe, America and China. He is working closely with the leadership team, headed by Weber, to maximise financial performance and work towards the home-grown brand’s vision to be innovating and leading in the healthy coffee concept segment.
Commenting on the appointment, Weber states, “We believe that Hassan’s ability and the wealth of experience he brings in certainly gives him an edge in his new role. I am incredibly excited on his appointment and look forward to drive forward our social contributions as well as focus on our growth and real estate strategy within the UAE and developing markets.”
“I am delighted to take up the position with ICONS, a forward thinking and health conscious lifestyle coffee shop chain with great global presence. I am looking forward to building on this success and contributing to its growth and profitability whilst simultaneously ensuring we remain focused on delivering the very best service to our customers,” Jawad adds.
The chain is now available in six countries and counting, including the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman and Austria.