Hospitality multinational Minor International has agreed to a joint venture with Vietnam Investments Group (VI) to operate as the master franchisee of The Coffee Club in Viet Nam.

“This is a great step forward for The Coffee Club as it makes its first entry into Viet Nam”, The Nation quoted Paul Kenny, CEO of Minor Food, as saying.

“With the flourishing coffee market and favourable macro trend, we are very optimistic about the opportunity to strengthen our presence in the country and grow The Coffee Club brand nationwide,” he said.

Under the partnership, the initial plan is to open 100 outlets of The Coffee Club over the next five years.

Minor International first entered Viet Nam in 1995 with a joint venture in a hotel in Hai Phong. In 2009, it began targeting local diners with three restaurant brands – The Pizza Company, Swensen’s and Thai Express.

To date, Minor has 83 outlets across the three brands and also operates four hotels in four different cities in the country.

VI Group has been the exclusive local franchisee of the Pizza Company and Swensen’s since 2015. The Coffee Club is the latest addition to its restaurant portfolio, which includes more than 10 restaurant brands with 120 restaurants in the country. — VNS