Tim Hortons opens 250th store in the Middle East

Regional retail conglomerate Apparel Group and AG Café, the master franchisee of Tim Hortons brand in the Middle East marked a major milestone with the opening of its 250th store at City Centre Mirdif in Dubai. Jean-Philippe Linteau, Consul General of Canada; Sima Ved, Founder & Chairwoman of Apparel Group; Nilesh Ved, Chairman of Apparel Group; Neeraj Teckchandani, CEO of Apparel Group; and Hesham Almekkawi, CEO of Tim Hortons MENA inaugurated the new concept store.

AG Café, a joint venture entity owned by Apparel Group, a global fashion and lifestyle retail conglomerate, and Gateway Partners, an emerging markets alternative investment firm, have collaborated to offer an innovative and unique experience for coffee lovers in City Centre Mirdif.

“Today’s milestone is a significant step towards our long-term potential to grow the brand, increase market share and strengthen our position as the leading retailer of Tim Hortons,” Teckchandani said. “We continue to strategically expand our footprint across the country and are on track to grow to at least 500 stores for Tim Hortons in the region.”

“We are proud to celebrate this momentous occasion and delighted to welcome everyone to the 250th Tim Hortons store located at City Centre Mirdif. Our customer’s experience is always at the forefront of our offering. With our new concept store, we are able to delve deeper into innovation in the menu and offerings to enhance our customers experience. Our new concept store represents our values of passion and innovation. This is a major step in our expansion plan and further our presence in this country,” Almekkawi added.

More than 50 years ago, Tim Hortons opened its doors in Hamilton, Canada and the only thing available on the menu back then was coffee and donuts. Fast forward to 2011, Apparel Group introduced Tim Hortons brand to the Middle East opening its first location in Dubai. The brand was received with unprecedented excitement from both locals and expats due to its history, quality of food and its popularity as a coffee chain with more than 4,000 locations in Canada.

The chain quickly became known in UAE for its freshly brewed coffee and freshly baked food. In the following years Tim Hortons has expanded across the UAE. Tim Hortons continues to strategically expand its footprint across GCC and is on track to grow to 500 stores in the region.