Jamaica Blue to open 10 stores in the next two months
Opens more international locations.
Jamaica Blue is set to open 10 new outlets before the year ends, which includes the eighth café in the United Arab Emirates, its first café in the United Kingdom, and Singapore.
The coffee chain has 130 cafés operating across Australia, New Zealand, China, Malaysia, Singapore and the UAE, and is currently tackling and looking into expanding its international network.
Drew Eide, National Brand Manager of Jamaica Blue, tells QSR Media that the chain will be expanding predominantly in the Middle East, Asia and the UK; Noting that the chain regularly reviews new international market opportunities and will base its international expansion decisions on market specific feasibility studies.
He attributes the expansion to the the chain's successful performance for this year, noting strong same-store sales growth in all territories, including its international locations.
Meanwhile, locally, Jamaica Blue is considering alternative locations for its concept. "The Jamaica Blue concept is extremely flexible," explained Eide, adding that the chain can adapt its format to suit a specific market location and customers.
A benefit to this flexibility, Eide said, is that the brand has the leeway to allow its franchise partners to have the freedom to develop cafés.
The chain has been creative with its café formats -- from fully licensed café-restaurants and in-line cafés, to kiosks and hole-in-the-wall espresso bars -- in the last few years and is now exploring other ways of presenting its brand for 2015
FROM CHALLENGES TO OPPORTUNITIES
According to Eide, the chain is seeing declining customer traffic numbers in shopping centres as well as economic pressures such as rising wages and other costs, as well as negative consumer sentiment.
However, he noted that centre visitors are making the ‘café stop’ more regularly on their shopping trip now more than ever before.
"[Australian consumers] may hold-back on high value purchases such as holidays or a technology gadget, but they won’t give up their coffee! And, Australian customers in particular are highly, and increasingly, brand loyal," Eide said.
To make sure they stop at Jamaica Blue, the chain has delved into more local area marketing initiatives and tailored and tactical campaigns to grow customer count and loyalty.
These initiatives include:
- Prioritizing the brand's loyalty program to ensure that its loyal customer-base is regularly rewarded;
- Focusing on ongoing in-store training to ensure that baristas and kitchen team members are serving the best coffee and fresh food;
- Evolving and updating store design to meet the changing expectation of café patrons.
Eide also pointed out that customers now are seeking healthy alternatives when dining out, so the chain is expanding its Lite Blue range of items, which offers lower kilojoules-count, as well as lower sodium and fat content. Jamaica Blue is also expanding its low gluten range of menu offerings and fresh salad range, and exploring other healthy options.
To further foster brand loyalty, the chain is set to launch its e-commerce platform this December, with the introduction of the Jamaica Blue Signature Blend coffee capsules which are compatible with Nespresso machines.
"At Jamaica Blue, we pride ourselves on the premise of never standing still. Natural evolution in retail is critical to remain relevant. We know that customers change, technology changes, design and food trends change and we (as a brand) are no different. We recognise very clearly that we compete with the best independent cafés in the world and as such, we have set the bar very high in order to deliver an exceptional customer experience and differentiate Jamaica Blue from its myriad competitors," Eide noted.
