LONDON: Cooks Coffee Company Limited (NZX: CCC), the New Zealand listed international coffee focused café chain, is pleased to announce its intention to dual list on the Aquis Stock Exchange Growth Market (“AQSE Growth Market”).
This chain of branded outlets comprises the fourth largest chains of coffee focused cafes in the UK with 72 outlets, together with 15 outlets in Ireland. Cooks Coffee’s shares will continue to trade on the New Zealand Stock Exchange. The Group is targeting admission to the Access Segment of the AQSE Growth Market in October 2022 (“Admission”). VSA Capital has been appointed as the Company’s Financial Adviser, AQSE Corporate Adviser and Broker in the UK.
The Group is an international coffee company, owning the master franchising rights to the Esquires Coffee brand globally, excluding Australia and New Zealand. The Group directly operates and franchises Esquires Coffee stores in the UK and Ireland. In other countries, such as Portugal, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, it has master franchise agreements.
In addition, Cooks Coffee also owns the award-winning Triple Two Coffee which is based in the UK and one of the fastest-growing coffee focused café brands in the UK market. In total, Cooks Coffee had 114 outlets across all its international markets at the end of July 2022. The Group’s operational teams are based in the UK and Ireland.
Cooks Coffee focuses on three fundamental elements of its business to achieve growth and success. Firstly, it focuses on the operations of the established Esquires Coffee Houses brand, which uses exclusively organic and Fairtrade coffee and delivers artisan style coffee through local business owners, by principally utilizing a franchise model.
Furthermore, the building out of the fast-growing Triple Two Coffee business, initially in the UK, followed by an introduction of the brand to international markets. Additionally, the Group plans to achieve growth through a combination of organic growth, further acquisitions and the appointment of new master franchises in new markets for both brands.
Keith Jackson, Executive Chairman of Cooks Coffee Company, said: “Being such a predominantly UK and Ireland focused group, it makes sense for us to dual list the Company in London and the Aquis Growth Market is ideally suited to our needs. We see considerable opportunities for growth in the UK, and when investors taste our coffee and experience what we offer, we are sure they will agree.”