Lavazza buys India coffee chains and other international news

Lavazza buys India coffee chains
Coffee company Lavazza Group has acquired Barista Coffee Company and Fresh & Honest Café. Barista is the second-largest Indian coffee shop chain, with 150 outlets, of which 132 are located in India, mainly in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. The transaction was carried out based on a precise development strategy that will lead to the opening of 400 outlets by 2010. Fresh & Honest Café focuses on the vending business, specifically on office coffee service. With a footprint in more than 22 Indian cities, the company supplies an average about 800 tonnes of coffee per year. It is expanding rapidly and has a production site in the southern region of India.

Burger King to launch in Poland Fast-food chain Burger King is to enter Poland, with the opening of the first outlet in the capital city of Warsaw scheduled for the second quarter of 2007. The restaurant will be among 220 shops and retail outlets located in a new premium mall, Zlote Tarasy, which is one of the largest multi-use developments under construction in Europe. Additional Burger King openings are scheduled during the next five years. Commenting on the agreement, Peter Robinson, president of Burger King Europe, said, "We are very pleased to announce our expansion into Poland which is part of our overall growth plan to increase our presence in both existing European markets and in strategic new ones."
Starwood to launch in Eastern Europe
Starwood is to launch its first W hotel in Eastern Europe with the opening of the W hotel St Petersburg in Russia in mid-2008. Located south of the Neva River in the city's historic centre, the 135-room hotel will offer a signature restaurant, a destination rooftop bar and a 24-hour concierge service. There are currently 21 W Hotels around the globe. Further hotels are planned for Vieques, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Santiago, Athens, Istanbul, Doha, Dubai-Festival City, Dubai-The Palm, and Koh Samui.

Duabi to get new Sofitel Sofitel is to launch a new property in Dubai with the opening of the 242-room Sofitel The Palace Old Town in May 2007. Situated near Sheikh Zayed Road and Dubai as well as 15 minutes from the Dubai International Airport, the hotel features a board meeting room as well as a conference room with capacity for up to 300 people. On the leisure side, there are three international restaurants, a swimming pool and a beauty and well-being spa. Located on Old Town Island, the design of the hotel is set to recreate the atmosphere of ancient Arab villages. The hotel 242 features rooms, including three Ambassador Suites, six Diplomatic Suites, three Royal Suites and one Imperial Suite.

World, travel and tourism to exceed US$7 trillion World travel and tourism is expected to generate in excess of US$7 trillion (£3.6 trillion) in 2007, rising to more than $13tr (£6.5 trillion) over the coming decade, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council's (WTTC) Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) research. The new TSA results show strong performance for travel and tourism demand in 2007, growing at a rate of 3.9%. This forecast points to a mature but steady phase of growth for world travel and tourism in the short and medium term, averaging 4.3% per annum, between 2008 and 2017. The USA is the world's largest travel and tourism economy with travel and tourism demand accounting for more than $1,7b (£880m) this year. Over the next 10 years considerable ground is expected to be gained by China which currently stands in third position behind Japan and is forecast to move up to second position by 2017.

By Kerstin Kühn

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