DUBAI
UK sandwich and coffee chain Pret A Manger is actively assessing locations for its first branch in central Dubai, it has confirmed to Gulf News.
Based on the positive reaction the retailer has received to its branch at Dubai International’s Terminal 1, they are looking for new, central locations, Pret said in a statement.
“We’ve received a really fantastic customer response to our first UAE shop at Dubai International and as a result are actually now looking at other more centrally-located sites in Dubai,” a spokeswoman said via email.
Pret declined to provide any additional details.
The provider of organic coffee and fresh sandwiches, which reported a 2016 revenue of £776 million, is the largest shop of its kind not to open in Dubai. The likes of Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Cafe Nero have been around since the early 2000s, marking Pret A Manger out as a latecomer.
When the chain finally opened its doors to international travellers at the airport in March 2016, Emirates Leisure Retail, a subsidiary of Emirates Group, which also operates Costa Coffee, was said to be looking at opening more branches.
According to the company’s website, Pret A Manger’s Dubai staff received their training in Pret shops around the world, whilst “our … logistics people have secured daily deliveries of amazing ingredients to the kitchen of our lovely new shop.”
The chain described the opening as “a fresh, new beginning in the Middle East.”
In March 2017, Pret was said to be weighing up an initial public offering (IPO) on Wall Street, according to Bloomberg, seeking a valuation of more than £1.5 billion.
