Gloria Jean's to take on Starbucks in bid for domination of Irish market

GLORIA Jean's Coffees plans to compete head-to-head with Starbucks for domination of the Irish coffee house market.

The Irish franchise for Gloria Jean's Coffees has been taken over by Noeleen Duffy, managing director of Glorjean Ltd Cork and she plans to increase the company's franchise cafés from five to 30 in Ireland over the next three years.

Ms Duffy said they hope to have 240 people employed in the 30 franchise-operated cafés generating a gross turnover well in excess of €15 million within the next three years.

Direct sales of roasted coffee beans to the public generate 10% of sales.

The Irish coffee house market is highly competitive with a number of chains already operating here including Costa Coffee, Insomnia and Cafe Sol. However, Ms Duffy points out that Gloria Jean's have managed to dominate the Australian market with 278 cafés compared to Starbucks' 45.

Gloria Jean's Coffees International managing director Peter Irvine said they have aggressive expansion plans for the international operation and believes Gloria Jean's in Ireland can emulate the company's success in Australia.

Ms Duffy said plans to open additional stores in Limerick, Waterford, Galway and Belfast are at an advanced stage.

It costs close to €250,000 to start a new franchise but Ms Duffy said that sales of €500,000 in year one would be the expected norm, with 10% growth in subsequent years

"There has been a fantastic response to Gloria Jean's Coffees in Ireland. The café market is highly competitive and Gloria Jean's success is due to the unique combination of high quality products, specialised service and the relaxed environment we offer our customers," she said.

The Irish franchise of Gloria Jean's Coffees, the first international franchise to introduce the speciality coffee concept to the Irish market, is 100% Irish-owned and is run from Cork's North Point Business where staff train to become highly skilled baristas.

Worldwide, Gloria Jean's Coffees operates in over 15 countries and will open stores in a further five countries later this year.