Thomas Eliopoulos, managing director of The Northern Border and Elio Barbera, managing director of Cafe Barbera.
Northern Border, Cafe Barbera partner for UAE expansion
It will expand into Ras Al Khaimah.
The Northern Border has partnered with Italian coffee brand Cafe Barbera to expand into Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates.
“We are thrilled to bring the Café Barbera experience to Ras Al Khaimah, blending our rich 150-year-old Italian coffee heritage with the vibrant culture of this dynamic Emirate,” said Elio Barbera, a sixth-generation member of the Barbera family and managing director of Café Barbera.
“The company is also very collaborative with its area franchisees and is a pleasure to work with as a partner,” he added.
Whilst this growth presents opportunities to attract tourists, The Northern Border’s initial focus is on the local community.
“We are planning to open Café Barbera locations in these high-tourism areas but are currently prioritising serving the local market with our first locations,” said Thomas Eliopoulos, managing director of The Northern Border.
The company has ambitious plans for sustainable development in the MENA region, intending to open 10 Café Barbera outlets in Ras Al Khaimah over the next decade.
Differentiating itself from other regional competitors, Eliopoulos said that The Northern Border has adopted a hyper-focused approach by exclusively operating in Ras Al Khaimah and will only maintain retail operations in the emirate.
“We are also building on the new construction partnerships developing in RAK to offer a fresh perspective to some legacy multi-brand operators, which is a competitive advantage,” Eliopoulos said. “In this way, we can provide value to additional franchisors that are seeking a more sophisticated, tailored retail strategy for RAK.”
