Taste Holdings, which has an exclusive master franchise agreement with Domino's Pizza International, said on Wednesday it had identified a conservative market opportunity of more than 150 Starbucks outlets in SA...
In a trading statement, Taste said it foresaw this growing to more than 200 in five years.
In a deal announced in July, Taste signed a 25-year exclusive partnership with Starbucks Coffee Company to develop Starbucks coffee shops in South Africa.
Despite this material market opportunity, Taste is, in the first 24 months, committed to launching the brand and all its elements, building human capacity through training for future growth, and establishing a robust store unit economic model prior to capitalising on the full market opportunity.
As a result, Taste envisaged 12 to 15 outlets being built in the first 24 months from the first store opening, which is scheduled for the first half of next year and will be located in Gauteng.
Taste also said it expected headline loss per share, excluding the core earnings adjustment, to be between -10.13 cents and -10.81 cents for the six month period to August 2015, representing a decrease of between 394% and 414%, compared to the headline earnings per share of 3.4 cents for the prior period.
Taste's interim financial results are expected to be released on or about 13 October.