Esquires

Last updated
Esquires
Type Public
Industry Restaurants
Retail Coffee & Tea
Retail Beverages
Entertainment
Founded1993, Canada
Headquarters Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
ProductsMade-to-order beverages
Bottled beverages
Baked Goods
Merchandise
Whole Bean Coffee
Boxed Tea
Website www.esquirescoffee.com

Esquires also known as Esquires Coffee, or Esquires Coffee Houses is an international coffeehouse chain comprising more than 130-plus stores in Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal, the Middle East, China and Australasia. [1]

Contents

Founded by Doug Williamson and Gary Buckland in Canada in 1993, the intellectual property and trademark rights for the business are now owned by New Zealand-based Cooks Global Foods Limited globally [2] and by Retail Food Group in Australia. [3]

History

The first Esquires Coffee House opened in the suburb of Sunshine Hills, a residential district of the city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 1993. [4] The business was started by Doug Williamson and Gary Buckland, 24 year old entrepreneurs and local business graduates. Doug Williamson was an accomplished television and film actor at the time, appearing in several films and starring in numerous television shows, and he credits the early success of Esquires to running the coffee house like a theatre production, casting the cafe with an ensemble whose primary purpose was to deliver a special experience to Esquires' guests. As he puts it, “We had a really cool culture because we didn’t know any better; we didn’t behave like we were running a business. We were giving a performance and hoping people enjoyed themselves. Coffee was the conduit, mostly."

In 1994 Doug and Gary on-boarded Peter E. Wudy, one of Canada's leading franchise consultants, to assist with expansion. With Peter's help and guidance, the chain expanded rapidly and 37 branches were opened across Canada, primarily on the west coast of British Columbia, before the company went international on a franchise basis.

Esquires expanded to the United Kingdom in 2000, followed by Ireland in 2001. Peter Kirton purchased the master license rights for Esquires Coffee U.K. Limited, which he held until purchased by Cooks Global Foods in 2013. Tony McVerry purchased the master license rights for Esquires Coffee Ireland, which he held until purchased by Cooks Global Foods in 2013.

In 2002, brothers Stuart and Lewis Deeks established the Esquires brand in Australasia through a master franchise agreement with the Canadian parent. [5] Under the name Franchise Development Ltd, they grew the business to become the leading branded chain in New Zealand by store numbers. [6]

In 2011, the Deeks sold the Australia and New Zealand franchise rights to Retail Food Group while retaining the rights to the Middle East, China and a number of other jurisdictions. [7]

In 2013, the Deeks merged their business into NZX-listed Cooks Global Foods. [8] In April 2013, Cooks acquired the intellectual property and master franchising rights to Esquires Coffee Houses worldwide - excluding New Zealand and Australia. [9] The company also owns wholesale businesses in related industries. [10] Cooks immediately hired Doug Williamson, one of the original founders, to re-join the organisation and run the United Kingdom business. Under Doug's leadership, Esquires Coffee U.K. rebranded their 23 store estate, re-modelled the business and re-introduced Esquires Coffee as a franchise investment opportunity. As of 2019, Esquires have expanded from 23 stores to 53 stores, with regional development commitments which will see the chain expand to 125 U.K. stores by 2028.

Today there are more than 40 Esquires stores in Australia and New Zealand operated by Retail Food Group including two drive-thru outlets. [11]

In April 2014, Cooks Global Foods acquired the Esquires Canadian intellectual property rights, the original Esquires franchisor founded in 1993. [12]

Franchising

Cooks Global Foods owns the Esquires Coffee Houses brand and system in Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland - where it also directly franchises stores - and the Middle East and China where stores are franchised through master franchise holders. [13]

In October 2013, the parent company presented its plans to consolidate and grow the business, with a minimum objective of 580 Esquires stores globally by 2020. [14]

In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Esquires owns the master franchises covering 38 stores and a refurbishment programme is underway to ensure that the branding is aligned with the global design and to upgrade stores and to ensure that service consistency is enhanced. [15]

In the Middle East, the company has commitments for the development of more than 80 Esquires Coffee Houses in the world's most influential Arab economic alliance. [16] Master Franchisees currently operate stores in all Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE. Oman and Qatar have recently signed master franchise agreements and will have stores operating during 2014. [17]

In China, Esquires is currently looking for investors who may be experienced franchisees, experienced hospitality retailers, investors - wanting to open territories and commit to opening a specific number of stores. [18]

In North America, Esquires now licenses back to Esquires Canada the right to use the IP to the existing 14 Esquires Coffee Houses stores in British Columbia and for a Master Franchise Agreement for Alberta. [19] Esquires plans to focus on aggressive growth nationwide which will include the construction of a number of new corporate flagships this year and expansion into other Canadian provinces. [20]

In 2018 Esquires Coffee Open its first store in Pakistan and Jordan. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

Fast food restaurant Type of restaurant

A fast food restaurant, also known as a quick service restaurant (QSR) within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant that serves fast food cuisine and has minimal table service. The food served in fast food restaurants is typically part of a "meat-sweet diet", offered from a limited menu, cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot, finished and packaged to order, and usually available for take away, though seating may be provided. Fast food restaurants are typically part of a restaurant chain or franchise operation that provides standardized ingredients and/or partially prepared foods and supplies to each restaurant through controlled supply channels. The term "fast food" was recognized in a dictionary by Merriam–Webster in 1951.

Burger King Global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in Florida

Burger King (BK) is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain. After Insta-Burger King ran into financial difficulties in 1954, its two Miami-based franchisees David Edgerton and James McLamore purchased the company and renamed it "Burger King". Over the next half-century, the company changed hands four times, with its third set of owners, a partnership of TPG Capital, Bain Capital, and Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, taking it public in 2002. In late 2010, 3G Capital of Brazil acquired a majority stake in the company, in a deal valued at US$3.26 billion. The new owners promptly initiated a restructuring of the company to reverse its fortunes. 3G, along with partner Berkshire Hathaway, eventually merged the company with the Canadian-based doughnut chain Tim Hortons, under the auspices of a new Canadian-based parent company named Restaurant Brands International.

Tim Hortons Canadian multinational quick-service restaurant chain

Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's or Timmies, is a Canadian multinational fast food restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service restaurant chain, with 4,949 restaurants in 15 countries as of March 2, 2022.

Quiznos American fast food chain

Quiz Holdings, LLC, doing business as Quiznos, is an American franchised fast-food restaurant based in Denver, Colorado, that specializes in offering toasted submarine sandwiches. It was founded in 1981 by Jimmy Lambatos and sold to Rick and Richard Schaden ten years later, before growing to nearly 5,000 restaurants afterwards. As of 2013, Quiznos was the second-largest submarine sandwich shop chain in North America, behind Subway. A 2016 survey indicated that Quiznos was the ninth-largest submarine sandwich shop chain based on sales. The publications Restaurant Business and Mashed.com reported in mid-2018 that Quiznos had only 400 locations remaining by 2017 after a high of 4,700 locations in 2007 just a decade earlier, while Money reported in May 2018 that Quiznos had 1,500 locations across the U.S.

Sobeys Inc. is the second largest supermarket chain in Canada, with over 1,500 stores operating across Canada under a variety of banners. Headquartered in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, it operates stores in all ten provinces and accumulated sales of more than C$25.1 billion in the fiscal 2019 operating year. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Empire Company Limited, a Canadian business conglomerate.

Dunkin Donuts American multinational food company

Dunkin' Donuts LLC, also known as Dunkin' and by the initials DD, is an American multinational coffee and doughnut company, as well as a quick service restaurant. It was founded by Bill Rosenberg in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1950. The chain was acquired by Baskin-Robbins's holding company Allied Lyons in 1990; its acquisition of the Mister Donut chain and the conversion of that chain to Dunkin' Donuts facilitated the brand's growth in North America that year. Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins eventually became subsidiaries of Dunkin' Brands, headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts, in 2004, until being purchased by Inspire Brands on December 15, 2020. The chain began rebranding as a "beverage-led company", and was renamed Dunkin', in January 2019; while stores in the U.S. began using the new name, the rebranding will eventually be rolled out to all of its international stores.

Tullys Coffee American specialty coffee brand

Tully's Coffee is an American specialty coffee manufacturing brand owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which acquired the Tully's brand and wholesale business in 2009.

BWG Foods UC is an Irish wholesaler and retail grocery franchise operator.

Pita Pit Canadian restaurant franchise

Pita Pit is a Canadian quick-service restaurant franchise serving pita sandwiches with fresh vegetables, grilled meat and sauces. Its Canadian and global headquarters are in Kingston, Ontario. Its United States headquarters are in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. As of September 2021, it is owned by Foodtastic.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf American coffee shop chain

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is an American coffee shop chain founded in 1963. Since 2019, it is a trade name of Ireland-based Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, itself wholly owned subsidiary of multinational Jollibee Foods Corporation.

Mister Donut Fast food doughnut chain

Mister Donut is an international chain of doughnut stores. It was founded in the United States in 1956 by Harry Winokur. Primary offerings include doughnuts, coffee, muffins and pastries. After being acquired by Allied Domecq in 1990, most of the North American stores became Dunkin' Donuts. Outside of the United States, Mister Donut maintains a presence in Japan, El Salvador, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria.

Michel's Patisserie is an Australian chain of bakery-style food outlets, that also operates internationally in New Zealand, Indonesia and China purveying cakes, pies, savouries, and espresso coffee. The company is a franchise system that was founded in 1988, and it has over 90 retail outlets in all Australian states and territories, except for Western Australia & Tasmania. The chain employs approximately 4,000 staff and serves approximately 36 million cups of coffee and 9.5 million slices of cake each year. It is the largest pastry chain in Australia. In 2016, Michel's Patisserie Toronto was judged to be National Retail Association Supreme Retailer of the Year.

Yogen Früz

Yogen Früz is a Canadian chain of frozen yogurt and smoothie stores that also serves healthy alternative food products. The chain is run through company-owned, franchised, and non-traditional partnerships. The chain operates worldwide and has been rated one of the top 500 franchises for over 20 years. The global headquarters is in Markham, Ontario in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada.

Retail Food Group

Retail Food Group (Australia) Limited, often abbreviated as RFG, is an ASX listed company and Australian franchisor based in Robina, Queensland. It owns numerous companies including Gloria Jean's Coffees, Brumby's Bakeries, Donut King, Michel's Patisserie, Di Bella Coffee, The Coffee Guy, Café2U, Pizza Capers and Crust Pizza.

Muzz Buzz Coffee chain founded in Perth, Western Australia

Muzz Buzz is an Australian owned and operated drive-through coffee franchise chain, originating in Perth, Western Australia. Established in 2001, in the suburb of Belmont, Muzz Buzz has seen rapid expansion in recent years and be found at over 35 locations within the Perth metropolitan area.

MTY Food Group

MTY Food Group is a Canadian franchisor and operator of numerous casual dining, fast casual, and quick service restaurants operating under more than 70 brand names, some of them through wholly owned subsidiaries. Headquartered in the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, the number of outlets carrying MTY brands reached 5,500 in 2017. Stanley Ma is the group founder, President and CEO. MTY Food Group's brands include Thaï Express, Country Style, Groupe Valentine, Vanelli's, Extreme Pita, Cultures, La Cremière, Sushi Shop, Veggirama, Caferama, O'burger, Tiki Ming, Vie & Nam, Au Vieux Duluth Express, FranxSupreme, ChicknChick, Croissant Plus, Koya Japan, Kim Chi, Panini, Tandori, Tutti Frutti, Villa Madina Mediterranean Cuisine, Sukiyaki, Taco Time, Yogen Früz, and the Canadian branch of TCBY.

The Coffee Club Australian café chain

The Coffee Club is a coffeehouse-style café chain. Originally created in 1989 as a place to get "an excellent coffee", the concept includes cafébar/restaurant stores with expanded menus and full table service. In 2005, The Coffee Club franchise was brought to New Zealand by Brad Jacobs and Andy Lucas opening their first store in Wellington. As of 2021, they have over 65 stores all around New Zealand.

Jollibee Foods Corporation is a Filipino multinational company based in Pasig, Philippines. JFC is the owner of the fast food brand Jollibee.

Cafe Barbera Italian coffeehouse and fast casual dining franchise

Café Barbera is an Italian coffeehouse and fast casual dining franchise registered with the International Franchise Association (IFA) since 2015. It operates franchises in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America. The franchise began in Dubai in 2004 and is named after the first Café Barbera founded by Domenico Barbera in 1870 in Southern Italy. It is considered one of the oldest companies in Europe and is still managed by the Barbera family.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ "About Us".
  3. ↑ "Esquires Coffee". www.rfg.com.au. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13.
  4. ↑ Historical data from the Irish Esquires website Archived 2014-03-22 at the Wayback Machine .
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. ↑ "Franchise New Zealand Home Page".
  8. ↑ "NZX, New Zealand's Exchange".
  9. ↑ "Cooks Food Group agrees to buy global rights to Esquires Coffee Houses". 11 July 2018.
  10. ↑ "About Us".
  11. ↑ "Esquires Coffee". www.rfg.com.au. Archived from the original on 2014-04-13.
  12. ↑ "Cooks' growth through acquisition | Scoop News".
  13. ↑ "About Us".
  14. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ "Esquires brews Middle East deal".
  17. ↑ "Esquires brews Middle East deal".
  18. ↑ "NZ Group to Expand Esquire Coffee Houses Throughout Canada". 19 March 2014.
  19. ↑ "Esquires Coffee buys Canada franchise rights".
  20. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-07-26. Retrieved 2014-07-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  21. ↑ "Esquires Coffee to open its first store in Karachi". 5 February 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.