Coffee house Artcaffe has unveiled a new outlet in Nairobi city’s Central Business District (CBD), raising the number of the firm’s outlets in the city centre to three.
The new outlet which is located at Chester House adds on to the other two branches on Kimathi Street and Kenyatta Avenue and its launch coincides with the firm’s 2019 announcement to further expand its local footprint.
Artcaffe is currently owned by US private equity firm Emerging Capital Partners (ECP) which in 2018 sold its entire stake in casual dining chain Java Coffee to Dubai-based equity firm Abraaj. ECP later re-entered the coffee brewing business in January 2019 after the Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) approved its takeover of Artcaffe in a deal worth Ksh. 3.5 billion. The acquisition granted ECP authority over ArtCaffe’s bakeries, coffee houses, and eatery brands such as Dormans, Tapas Ceviche Bar, Urban Gourmet Burgers and Oh Cha Noodle Bar.
“There is immense opportunity in eastern Africa for casual dining concepts. Alongside population growth and increased urbanization, demand for international cuisine and casual, high-quality dining experiences is rising,” ECP said in a statement then after acquiring a stake in Artcaffe.
The eatery currently has 20 of its branches operational following temporary suspension of restaurant services in the country after a directive by the Ministry of Health to curb Covid-19. ArtCaffe has been reopening its outlets for dine in and take-away services. The firm already has more than 30 branches across the city with its rapid expansion seeing 14 outlets opened last year.
The move by Artcaffe is set to increase rivalry in the already competitive local coffee house market that is home to other coffee house chains such as Java House and Urban Grind Coffee and Grill.
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