Ajman: Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe opens 24th outlet
Ajman: The latest outlet of Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe, the UAE-born chain of international coffee shops owned by Thumbay Group, was inaugurated at the Department of Land & Real Estate Regulation, Al Jurf, Ajman on Monday (18th June). The outlet also had the privilege of welcoming H.E. Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Nasser Al Nuaimi, Director of the Office of H.H. Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Humaid Al Nuaimi andH.E. Yafea AlFaraj, General Director of the Department of Land & Real Estate Regulation, in the presence of Mr. Farhad. C – Director of Thumbay Group’s Hospitality Division, at the inaugural function.
Introducing the new technology that lets customers get their photos printed on their lattes and cappuccinos, Blends & Brews marked the ‘Year of Zayed’ by printing the photograph of the late His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, in the first coffee made at the inaugural function.
Welcoming Blends & Brews to the Department of Land & Real Estate Regulation, H.E. Yafea Al Faraj said, “We are happy to have Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe here, to serve the employees and visitors at the department. The outlet has an impressive design and good taste.”
A fast-growing chain of coffee shops with ambitious global expansion plans, Blends & Brews operates multiple coffee shops in the UAE, in addition to an outlet in Hyderabad – India. The growing popularity of the brand has ensured its presence in major shopping malls, offices, universities, government offices, hospitals, health clubs, etc. and the numbers are growing. It has a drive-thru outlet in Ajman, as well as ELITE outlets catering to upmarket customers.
Riding high-on its reputation built over the years, Blends & Brews is pursuing an ambitious expansion plan in the Middle East region, Africa and India, in line with Thumbay Group’s strategic plans. “The strategic plan of Thumbay Group includes the addition of 100 Blends & Brews outlets by 2022, and extend franchise offers to partners in countries including India and the MENA region,” said Dr. Thumbay Moideen, Founder President of Thumbay Group, adding, “We are confident that our UAE-born brand will find acceptance the world over.”
In addition to hot and cold beverages including its signature blends, Blends & Brews also has a short-eats menu designed in accordance with the local palate, to ensure quick service to customers without having them wait. Blends & Brews also has its own range of sugar-free delicacies including drinks, cookies and cakes. The stores are designed as attractive open spaces and the interiors are coffee-themed, based on the concept of modernity. The Baristas are professionals who are keen on giving customers a taste of the brand’s values, besides great coffee.
Commenting on the new coffee shop, Mr. Farhad C, Director of the Hospitality Division of Thumbay Group said, “Like all our other outlets, the new Blends & Brews coffee shoptoo endeavors to provide the best and most satisfying coffee experience to customers. As the brand is growing, our priority is to maintain quality and consistency. We are in the process of innovating new beverages and food menus in line with the trends of the seasons. Moreover, we are focusing on staff quality and retention as well as increased efficiency and profitability.”
About Thumbay Group
Established by the Founder President Dr. Thumbay Moideen in 1998, today Thumbay Group is a diversified international business conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, with presence across 20 sectors of business including Education, Healthcare, Medical Research, Diagnostics, Retail Pharmacy, Health Communications, Retail Opticals, Wellness, Nutrition Stores, Hospitality, Real Estate, Publishing, Technology, Media, Events, Medical Tourism, Trading and Marketing & Distribution. Thumbay Group follows a strategic plan, according to which the Group aims to expand its businesses over ten times, with global presence. The strategic vision plan aims to increase the employee strength to 25,000 by the year 2022.
Hospitality Division
The Hospitality Division of Thumbay Group operates three different brands: The Terrace Restaurant, Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe, and Body & Soul Health Club & Spa. The Terrace Restaurant is a multi-cuisine restaurant chain operating multiple outlets across Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman and Fujairah. Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe has outlets in Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah and Hyderabad (India). Body & Soul Health Club & Spa operates five clubs in the UAE, including ‘ELITE’ and ‘LADIES ONLY’ facilities, offering extensive sports, recreation, fitness, health, social and youth programs, with the sixth club slated to open in Fujairah shortly.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
