Bacha Coffee, a Moroccan cafe chain and retailer, is preparing to open its first Hong Kong store in IFC Mall as it eyes expansion further into the Greater Bay Area (GBA) in early 2024.
“Hong Kong is always ahead in the gourmet market,” Taha Bouqdib, president and CEO of V3 Gourmet, told the Post. “You cannot be an international brand without being in Hong Kong.”
V3, which also owns the Tea WG brand, expects to open the flagship store at the end of August as it pursues an international expansion strategy that also includes Europe and Southeast Asia.
Founded in Marrakech in 1910, Bacha Coffee started an international push in 2019 when it chose Singapore’s ION Orchard shopping centre as its first overseas beachhead. The company now has 10 stores in Singapore and will open its first store in Malaysia soon.
The company’s intent with Bacha Coffee is to share with consumers a different way to appreciate coffee. “We want to create one store that has all the coffee beans in the world in one place, to bring this travel experience to any consumer,” Bouqdib said.
Hong Kong’s location is strategically important. “Hong Kong is also our strategy to enter the Greater Bay Area,” he said. “You cannot open in the GBA without starting here.”
In November 2021, Bacha Coffee launched on Tmall, Alibaba Group’s massive online retail site, which services both Hong Kong and Mainland China. Bacha’s sales there have increased more than 200 per cent year on year in the first six month of 2023, the company said. Alibaba owns the Post.
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“When we saw the result coming from this area on our e-commerce platform, we found out that Bacha Coffee has huge potential in the whole area,” Bouqdib said.
He also expressed great confidence in Hong Kong’s retail market, based on Tea WG, which debuted in Hong Kong in 2011 and has grown to 13 stores, with the company aiming to exceed 15 by 2024.
“It [has been] just an amazing experience in the retail business in Hong Kong,” he said, adding that Tea WG continued to expand even during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The retail sector, I don’t see it going down,” Bouqdib said. “For me, it’s more stable today. If you have the right brand, the right concept, I don’t think you will fail in Hong Kong.”
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The company is also looking to expand its current office and lease another office to accommodate a growing team.
Bacha Coffee will also be launching a Hong Kong specific e-commerce platform in the third quarter, alongside its bricks-and-mortar opening, offering both the brand’s packed coffees and 200 varieties of loose beans, it said.
