The Coffee Club’s first Asian retail store is set to open on 12 December 2008 in idyllic Phuket, Thailand. The franchise company sold a 50 per cent share of the business to Thailand’s largest fast-food operator Minor International in a bid to expand overseas to cities such as Dubai, Beijing and Bangkok, where Minor already has a strong presence.

Co-owner of The Coffee Club Group and Public Relations Director, John Lazarou, said, “We’re currently compiling specialised Coffee Club manuals that are being translated from English into Thai. These will ensure that everything that is served in the new business will be exactly the same as our Australian menu.”

Lazarou continued, “It’s been a very successful process since we started work on the new store. Our Thai counterparts have been easy to work with and there haven’t been a lot of challenges or difficulties we’ve had to overcome.

“I think that’s testament to the strength of The Coffee Club’s business model, which has really guided the process perfectly and demonstrates the lengthy experience of Minor as a leading hospitality and franchise company.”