Gloria Jean's to open 7 more outlets by 2013

Wonderful Lifestyle Sdn Bhd, the master franchise partner of Gloria Jean's Coffees in Malaysia and Brunei, aims to open
another seven outlets by year-end.

Wonderful Lifestyle is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Malaysia International Franchise (MyFranchise) Sdn Bhd, which is the franchise investment arm of Perbadanan Nasional Bhd, an agency under the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism.

MyFranchise chairman Datuk Ahmad Shalimin Ahmad Shaffie said there were currently 16 Gloria Jean's Coffees outlets in the country, including at Plaza Sentral in Kuala Lumpur Sentral and Plaza IBM in Petaling Jaya.

"We will also expand the brand to Brunei, whereby we will open our first outlet there on May 22," he told a press conference here today, after announcing the establishment of the Gloria Jean's Coffee University.

Gloria Jean's Coffees, through Wonderful Lifestyle, will ensure its franchise partners in Malaysia and Brunei are provided with the best learning environment with the establishment of its coffee university.

Ahmad Shalimin said the facility will be hosting the "Regional Barista Training" in June this year, which is expected to draw participation from countries all over Asia.

"The establishment of the coffee university is to train our staff and franchise partners, to ensure their success as well as to create better prospects for our business.

"The training scope of the facility covers end-to-end business process, from the finance and operation side to customer service," he added.

Gloria Jean's Coffees is an Australian-owned global specialty coffee company that has opened over 1,000 coffee houses and signed 48 master franchise agreements across 39 countries worldwide. -- Bernama