Costa Coffee outlet opens at Dubai International Airport's Arrivals Hall

The opening of the new Costa store, the second to open in the UAE since the beginning of the year, is part of an ambitious expansion plan that will see the addition of 20 more stores in the country over the next 24 months, in iconic developments and strategic locations - such as the new venue at Dubai's busy international airport.

"With an estimated 29 million passengers expected to pass through Dubai in 2006, the airport is amongst the busiest in the world. The opening of a Costa store at the Arrivals Hall was a logical step in our expansion plan and we expect that the new store will be as successful as our existing outlets in the departure area," said Piers Burton, Head of Leisure Retail.

"The success of the brand since our launch here seven years ago clearly shows that consumers truly appreciate its superior quality. Our goal is to make Costa coffee accessible to customers across the country through seeking out and developing sites in the best locations," he added.

Huraiz Bin Huraiz, Director Commercials, Department of Civil Aviation, expressed the airport's support for the new Costa outlet. "We at the Department of Civil Aviation always work to provide the best to our customers. Dubai International airport has grown very fast in the last few years, and today is considered to be one of the best airports in the world. Therefore, we insist on bringing in major branded outlets such as Costa in order to provide our valuable customers with the best service all over the airport premises."

At 200 square metres the new store is the largest Costa store at the airport; the 270 square-metre Costa Coffee store at Mall of the Emirates, which opened in January this year, is presently the largest in the country. Its inauguration marked a major milestone in Costa's international operations as the company's 100th store in the Middle East and its 500th globally.

Simon Holroyd, Manager of Costa Coffee UAE for MMI, said: "The new stores are in keeping with the company's commitment to opening large stores in the best locations. Since the opening of the first Costa store in Dubai in 1999, Costa has expanded and today has a flourishing network of 26 stores across the UAE."

He added that the nationwide development of the Costa Coffee network is also part of MMI's committed effort of 'bringing more to life' through excellence in all areas of operations. "We are delighted to offer the highest levels of customer service to our guests, this coupled with delivering excellent, market leading products in comfortable and relaxing surroundings gives us the confidence in our brand to expand prolifically throughout the UAE".