Theobroma, the café, chocolatier and bar franchise, has announced that it will be bringing its range of sweet treats to the UK as part of a wider international growth strategy which will also take place in Singapore, China and India. The UK's store openings have already been lined up in London and Birmingham for October and November.
Theobroma's Operations and Franchise Manager, Wayne Wright, explained that the UK market currently lacked a strong concept in their sector, with no incumbent brands providing a combined coffee, food and chocolate offer. He explained that the Theobroma brand would bring these three things into a single, customer-focused concept.
The brand is currently working in Singapore on a new retail site that will open next year in the Orchard Gardens development and a new master franchise deal has already been completed for Mumbai and New Delhi, where customer demand is rapidly growing.
The businesses in both the UK and Singapore are being managed as joint ventures and a similar set-up for China has already begun to make progress. Wright explained that Theobroma is working hard to get the right partners in place and has focused on selecting these over the last 12 months.
Wright said that the UK's master franchisee is a former Gloria Jean franchisee in Sydney who is looking to return to the UK, while the master franchisee for New Delhi has formerly worked within the Salsa network and will also be opening an Australian store along with one in the Indian capital.
Further expansion in Australia is on track, with Perth's Brookfield Place set to see a new outlet in August and Queensland's first store to be unveiled in October. Outlets will also be opening in Sydney's leading shopping centres – World Square and Castle Towers.
The Theobroma brand launched in 2006 and now has an impressive 27 stores in Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. The business's development has seen the head office grow from two staff to seven in the past year alone, with recent appointments of full-time Australian and New Zealand field officers. These roles will be in place to serve and develop the existing franchises in these regions.
Wayne Wright will continue to concentrate on the UK's domestic franchise recruitment and manage the brand's expansion overseas. There are exciting opportunities emerging for interested franchisees looking to join the growing Theobroma system.
The speed of the brand's international growth has been remarkable and it's built on solid fundamentals - providing excellent food, beverage and chocolate quality as well as superior customer service from franchisees. The product is right and proven, the brand is rapidly consolidating and increasing market penetration in its current regions and the concept has been enthusiastically adopted by customers. Sites are planned for London and the surrounding regions and there are great opportunities available for skilled and passionate people to join a system that is poised for genuine UK success.
So if you're passionate and enthusiastic about service and customer delivery in the combined food, chocolate and beverage market, then Theobroma could be the franchise for you. The brand now offers an incredible product line of over 100 different chocolates, all made by hand and of boutique quality and including its innovative coloured chocolate range. The stores sell chocolate-drizzled waffles, chocolate desserts and a range of hot and cold drinks, as well as a full food menu and premium beverages.
At FranchiseExpo, we're delighted to read about the success of Theobroma and the potential opportunities on offer to enthusiastic new franchisees. We await further news of the brand's development and successes with great anticipation and applaud their inclusion of franchise-development employees within their head-office function to offer vital support and training for the franchisee network.
