The Cofix coffee chain with Israeli roots has opened its first branch in Spain, writes Forbes. The investor for the launch in this European country was the former commercial director of Nissan and Mercedes-Benz automobiles, the Russian Ruslan Katarsky.
Spain became the second EU country where Cofix was launched; In 2020, the network opened in Poland. Cofix was founded in 2013 by Israeli entrepreneur Avi Katz. Since 2019, the majority stake in the Cofix Group belongs to Rami Levy.
In Russia, the network was launched in 2016 and is developed by Urban Cofix Russia, 99.9% owned by Cofix Global. In total, of the 400 network points open around the world, 280 are located in Russia.
In Spain, Cofix will operate as a franchise; The first location began serving customers in Valencia, said Cofix global chief operating officer Sean Lewis. He clarified that the first point is a small establishment of 54 square meters with 14 seats. The official opening is scheduled for September 14.
The franchisee partnership with Cofix was confirmed by Ruslan Katarsky; According to him, until then he had not been involved in the coffee business. The entrepreneur is investing his own credit funds in the project and intends to launch two or three more establishments in Spain in the next year and a half.
Lewis, in turn, indicated that the minimum investment to open a Cofix cafeteria abroad is approximately $75 thousand.
“The number depends on the size and format of the dot. For ordinary franchisees in Europe, the conditions are as follows: 6% royalties and 10,000 euros flat fee, plus a 2% monthly marketing payment. The recovery period is 24 months,” he explains.
The company has adapted its offer to the specificities of the Spanish market. Thus, more espresso-based cold drinks have appeared on the Cofix menu. A new category of “non-alcoholic cocktails” has been introduced for Cofix. Currently in Valencia, Cofix sells drinks at fixed prices: €1.5, €2, €2.5, €3, €3.5.
The Spanish market looks promising because there is little competition, says Lewis.
“The company is looking for master franchisees who can take over the management of both the entire country and individual cities, such as Barcelona, Málaga, Madrid, Seville, Bilbao,” Lewis shares his plans.
In the future, the network will be able to launch up to 80 points. In addition to Russia and Spain, the network operates in Israel, Poland and Belarus. In 2020, Cofix opened in Kazakhstan. The company is now looking for partners to launch in Portugal, France, Romania and Slovakia.
In the Forbes franchise ranking in 2023, the chain took ninth place. At the end of 2022, Cofix’s revenue amounted to 21.9 million rubles and profit to 3.9 million rubles.
Author:
Natalia Gormaleva
Source: RB
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