The Coffee Club Thailand, an Australian-style coffee and restaurant, plans to double its sales and customer base next year as price and menu restructuring is a part of its strategies.
Nongchanok Stananonth, newly-appointed general manager of The Coffee Club, a food brand under Minor Food Group, said the company is conducting a feasibility study to revise its menus and prices, adjusting store design to fit local customers, recruiting new customers and increasing the frequency of visits by existing customers.
"The Coffee Club was introduced to the Thai market a decade ago but its brand awareness is still low," Mrs Nongchanok said.
"Some Thais do not dare to visit our cafes because of the luxurious image. Therefore, apart from revising price structure and new menus, we will increase our new communications to build brand awareness among working people, our core customers."
In light of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Mrs Nongchanok, the company has adapted its strategies to focus more on local people, instead of relying on foreign tourists.
Thai customers also contribute more sustainable sales, she said, adding the company notes the proportion of local customers and foreigners is now 50:50, compared to 20:80 before the crisis.
"We don't have any concerns about the new Omicron variant because we have already shifted our focus to local customers since the first outbreak of Covid-19. Now, local customers spend their lives as usual though the first Omicron case has been detected in Thailand."
According to Mrs Nongchanok, almost all restaurants under Minor Food Group, which target local customers, have recouped up to 90% of sales.
The Coffee Club will reestablish itself to get more connected with local customers.
The company plans to team up with business partners which have strong local customer bases such as banks and mobile phone operators.
"As tourism is yet to recover, we don't have any plans to open new branches of The Coffee Club next year. We would rather spend time strengthening our existing flagship branches to have more sustainable sales,'' Mrs Nongchanok said.
The company has also improved its app and expects some 50,000 customers will download it next year from 20,000 downloads this year. It also expands into the catering business this month.
Currently, there are 31 The Coffee Club outlets across the country. The company expects sales to increase to 500-600 million baht next year from an estimated 200 million baht this year.
The Coffee Club was established in 1989 in Brisbane, Australia and Minor Group has taken a 43% share. Today, it has expanded more than 400 branches in 10 countries including New Zealand, China, the Maldives and Cambodia.