Caffe Bene Vietnam starts franchising

Korean coffee chain Caffe Bene has opened its first franchised store in Vietnam.

Caffe Bene Vietnam’s third store – its first franchised outlet – is located in the recently opened SSC VivoCity shopping centre in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 7, a popular expat residential area.

While coffee is at its core, Caffe Bene has attracted a large customer base of Vietnamese due to its shaved ice desserts, bagels and ice cream.

The first Caffe Bene store opened in Ho Chi Minh City last year in a prime two-storey corner site on the city’s main shopping street Dung Khoi, in premises vacated by apparel chain Esprit. Queues formed from day one.

Now that it has refined its offer and gained market experience through its two company-owned stores, the company is launching its franchise program. It plans to have 50 stores trading in Vietnam by the end of next year.

Caffe Bene Korea is focusing on international expansion after reaching saturation point in its own market with a network of 810 stores. It has more than 500 stores in China and two in the US. It will also take its brand to the Middle East after signing a franchise agreement with Saudi Arabia-based Keden Group.