1st November 2008
Source; http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm/sidZAWYA20081031070408/Qurum%20City%20Centre%20launched%20in%20Muscat
Visitors are now invited to enjoy browsing through a whole host of top fashion brands, a Carrefour hypermarket and a wide selection of hand-picked outlets. They can also sample the very best facilities, excellent dining experiences in the first mall in the area open 12 hours a day (10am to 10pm).
Outlets already open at Qurum City Centre, include Mango, Borders, Giordano, Bossini, Monsoon, Next, Promod, GNC, Body Shop, Claire's, Nayomi, Adidas Mothercare, Osh Kosh, among others and the main anchor store Carrefour Hypermarket.
Visitors can expect many more stores to open during the coming weeks at the bustling 20,600 sq. meters of prime shopping space once everything is fully open.
As well as browsing in more than 75 retails outlets, visitors can enjoy a whole host of services and amenities that aim to make shopping a comfortable and enjoyable experience for all. These include eight ATM's, prayer rooms for men and women, currency change outlets, taxi services, wheelchairs and, soon to be available strollers for the tiny tots.
When it's time to take a break and relax during a visit, shoppers can sample a wide range of menus from the seven outlets at the food court, and coffee shops, Costa Coffee and Coffee Republic. A cool ice cream break can be had in Oman's first Cold Stone Creamery outlet.
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“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success” - Henry Ford. An apt dedication to the Coffee Republic rebel shareholders.
This blog is independently written and not affiliated with Coffee Republic Plc in any way
“Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success” - Henry Ford. An apt dedication to the Coffee Republic rebel shareholders.
*Last blog update*
28th January 2009
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Coffee Republic reborn
Coffee Republic was formed in 1995 by Bobby and Sahar Hashemi, a brother and sister who wanted to bring quality coffee from New York to Britain. They saw the opportunity for exporting the coffee bar concept to Britain. Over the past twelve years the company has been through several phases, but is now taking a radically new direction, and embarking on what may be its most exciting phase to date.
Bobby Hashemi’s instinct had been correct, and in the eight years after establishing the first ever Coffee Republic on South Molton Street in London, the company grew rapidly, growing to more than a hundred outlets and achieved a stockmarket listing. However, the company never made a profit. In the financial year ending March 2006, from a turnover of almost £15 million, the company made a loss of more than £1.4 million.
The need for change
While investors were prepared to forgive a company that was growing rapidly, their patience began to wear thin once the company started to contract as it did from 2003. The catalyst for change came from Steven Bartlett, an established retail entrepreneur. He believed that Coffee Republic could succeed in Plymouth, where he was living, and so he applied for a franchise.
He was surprised to be turned down, and so he applied again. Having been rebuffed a second time, he was much less surprised to discover an online chatroom full of highly disgruntled Coffee Republic shareholders. He became convinced that the company was not being run as well as it could and he resolved to do something about it.
Together with Peter Breach, Bartlett began to acquire shares in the company, and by September 2006, the pair owned 26 per cent of the company. Through the online chatroom they had gathered the support of a further 26 per cent of the shareholding, and so requisitioned an Extraordinary General Meeting to remove the company’s senior management.
The response from the Board was to ask Breach and Bartlett to withdraw the requisition in return for being installed as chairman and chief executive respectively. They agreed and took up their new positions at the end of October 2006.
Bobby Hashemi’s instinct had been correct, and in the eight years after establishing the first ever Coffee Republic on South Molton Street in London, the company grew rapidly, growing to more than a hundred outlets and achieved a stockmarket listing. However, the company never made a profit. In the financial year ending March 2006, from a turnover of almost £15 million, the company made a loss of more than £1.4 million.
The need for change
While investors were prepared to forgive a company that was growing rapidly, their patience began to wear thin once the company started to contract as it did from 2003. The catalyst for change came from Steven Bartlett, an established retail entrepreneur. He believed that Coffee Republic could succeed in Plymouth, where he was living, and so he applied for a franchise.
He was surprised to be turned down, and so he applied again. Having been rebuffed a second time, he was much less surprised to discover an online chatroom full of highly disgruntled Coffee Republic shareholders. He became convinced that the company was not being run as well as it could and he resolved to do something about it.
Together with Peter Breach, Bartlett began to acquire shares in the company, and by September 2006, the pair owned 26 per cent of the company. Through the online chatroom they had gathered the support of a further 26 per cent of the shareholding, and so requisitioned an Extraordinary General Meeting to remove the company’s senior management.
The response from the Board was to ask Breach and Bartlett to withdraw the requisition in return for being installed as chairman and chief executive respectively. They agreed and took up their new positions at the end of October 2006.
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