Coffee duo have a taste for East

TWO of Britain's leading coffee bar groups, Madisons Coffee and Costa, are planning to expand in the lucrative Middle Eastern market.

Costa, owned by Whitbread, has struck a franchise deal to open at least 55 new sites in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain. Global juggernaut Starbucks has already steamed into the region, with outlets in six countries.

Madisons is expanding its upmarket Richoux coffee bar-restaurants chain in the United Arab Emirates. It also announced a preliminary franchise to open Richoux in Kuwait.

The group said it would examine the Richoux expansion before taking up any of a number of franchise offers to launch Madisons coffee bars in the region. Whitbread already operates Costas under franchises in Kuwait and Dubai.

Nick Williams, Costa's business development manager, said: 'Coffee drinking is very much a way of life in the Arabic world and there is a real taste for Costa's Italian approach to coffee making in these countries.'

Madisons chief executive Gareth Lloyd-Jones said many Middle Eastern countries were looking to build up their leisure and retail industries, encouraging brands from the US and Europe.