(L-R): Hesham Almekkawi, Nilesh Ved and Jean-Philippe Linteau
Rapidly expanding its presence in the region, Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons recently opened its 300th café in the Middle East. To mark the occasion, celebrations were hosted at Tim Horton’s stylish Roshn Front location in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Tim Hortons Middle East, represented by its master franchisee AG Café International – a joint venture entity owned by Apparel Group and Gateway Partners – has been on an aggressive growth path across the GCC in recent years.
Commenting on Tim Hortons Middle East’s growth, Nilesh Ved, Chairman of Apparel Group and AG Café International said, “During the last decade, Tim Hortons Middle East has found countless opportunities in the region to grow and thrive. Besides being loved by many guests here, the Middle East boasts an attractive investment environment, offering a state-of-the-art infrastructure and many business incentives that encourage us to move forward with our expansion plans in the region.”
Highlighting Tim Hortons’ growth in India, he added, “We have also expanded our footprint into India, where we already have over 35 cafés.”
Since the first Tim Hortons Café & Bake shop opened in Dubai in 2011, the brand has captured the hearts and taste buds of guests by delivering premium quality and ensuring a consistently enjoyable customer experience.
“We enjoy offering customers comfort, refreshments and a relaxing environment. With the opening of our 300th branch, we reaffirm this mission once again, empowering people and bringing them together over a good cup of coffee, a hearty meal and exciting conversations,” stated Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons’ Master Franchisee in the Middle East.
“By taking advantage of the brand’s popularity, our strategic development will ensure that Tim Hortons’ iconic coffee is accessible to customers across the Middle East,” he added while emphasising that at the heart of the brand’s expansion plans lies a real passion to connect with local communities and foster connections between customers.