Boutique café group % Arabica is set to open its first outlet in Vietnam in collaboration with Hong Kong-based investment company The Kho Group.
Having mooted a Vietnamese debut in 2020, Kyoto-based % Arabica has confirmed it will open its first store in the country this month in Ho Chi Minh City’s popular Nguyen Hue ‘Café Apartments’ site.
The nine-storey building currently houses nearly 30 coffee shops, including Partea, The Maker Concept and The Letter Café, alongside fashion boutiques and other independent stores.
Vynce Nguyen, General Manager of The Kho Group, said % Arabica will offer consumers a new specialty coffee experience in Vietnam’s well-established out-of-home coffee market.
% Arabica plans to launch its second Vietnamese outlet in Ho Chi Minh City, at the Diamond Plaza shopping centre, and is exploring potential expansion in Hanoi, Hoi An and Phu Quoc.
The Nguyen Hue ‘Café Apartments’ store will be the Japanese coffee group’s 142nd globally with Vietnam its 20th market. The outlet precedes expected market entries in Spain, Mexico, Jordan and Egypt.% Arabica is also set to relaunch in the Philippines this year with two stores in Manila’s Bonifacio Global City financial business district, having exited the market in January 2022.
The Kho Group operates a portfolio of 19 brands across real estate, technology, finance and retail industries. While % Arabica marks the company’s first foray into food and beverage retail, The Kho Group also has investments in French winery Pont Des Arts and Hong Kongese food-tech company Future Salad.