MUMBAI, India – Real Estate and facility management company – Realta Ventures has announced the acquisition of premium waffle brand, London Bubble Co. The expansion coheres with the company’s vision to make the waffle studio one of the best quick-service restaurants across India and drive the ‘short-grub’ culture among new-age diners. The strategic move is expected to revive the three-year old pioneer waffle brand and drive growth by 202% by February of 2021.
This acquisition also paves the way to expand and innovate across the length and breadths of the country as London Bubble Co. enters a strategic alliance with Café Coffee Day, a homegrown retail cafe chain. LBC’s shop-in-shop business model with CCD will enable it to scale up it’s footprint in the country and is touted to be the largest partnership with presence across 150 outlets of CCD’s café network. With an aim to provide the perfect ‘Waffee’ (waffle & coffee) moment, guests can enjoy the heavenly pairing of artisanal coffees with scrumptious and loaded waffles.
Launched in 2017, London Bubble Co. has become a staple for waffle lovers across the country. Previously at 74 outlets spanning across 10 states, the brand will now boast of retail visibility across 24 cities.
India’s café culture has grown exponentially in the past decade and now it is ready to incorporate more in its repertoire. Waffles offer the perfect opportunity for India’s work weary young population to socialize, celebrate, and foster friendships in a truly global manner. This partnership will also help popularize waffles as a dessert in India’s tier 2 and their 3 cities, creating a strong footprint for LBC in non-metro cities. With this wider network, LBC also aims at driving up continued scalability and accelerating its demand to achieve its assessed revenue projections in trailing months.
LBC will also have an all-new menu fostering guilt-free indulgence. With ‘unforgettable’ flavors forming the bedrock of it’s offerings, it will serve only oil – free waffles with increased focus on taste, freshness and flavor.
Commenting on the acquisition and the partnership with CCD, Mr. Mustakeen Sheikh, CEO and Promoter, Realta Hospitality said, “We are delighted to include London Bubble Co. under Realta Ventures’ portfolio. We’ve entered into a distinctive position in an evolving market segment with strong prospects for growth. We are looking forward to taking an already established brand and accelerating its pace by providing unmatched services and quality products at economically revised price points. Our partnership with Café Coffee Day is one such way to make inroads into new markets and bridge the gap between urban and non-urban population with pocket-friendly desserts that perfectly pair with coffee, all under the same roof. This opportunity presents a new wave of shared brand experience while also expanding our customer reach.”
Vinay A. Bhopatkar, CEO, Café Coffee Day said, “Thanks to the millennials and people exposed to global cuisines, there is a whole new culture around exploring food in India; CCD has been at the forefront on innovating on Food and launching new trends through its cafes. Waffles have emerged as the Instagram generation’s one of the most loved dessert in recent times, indicating a tremendous shift in the urban Indian sweet palate. We are positive that this partnership will add another interesting inclusion to the CCD menu, giving our patrons more reasons to visit their favourite café. It is also a transformative experience for CCD in terms of scale in an on-trend industry. LBC’s diverse offerings have forged a unique appeal and identity that will create a new dimension of dessert pairings for CCD and deliver immediate value to our customers.”
With this acquisition, London bubble Co. promotes ‘the new us’ which includes a freshly curated menu, refer and earn policies, and other significant additions. From rich chocolates and bottled milkshakes to flavorful pre-packed ice-creams, the carefully curated new menu has launched exciting options for people to enjoy on-the-go. It has also kept in mind evolving health conscious lifestyles and introduced healthier waffles. New dairy-free milkshakes are also on offer for the new-age vegan and flexitarian consumer. Known for its variations, LBC is adding to their expansive range of bubble and pocket waffles, with new stick and dutch Stroopwafels on offer. These developments under ‘the new us’ concept have been rolled-out with the vision to make LBC an inextricable part of the country’s waffle lexicon.
Cities to be covered in the strategic alliance of London Bubble with CCD:
Agra, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Dobespet, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mohali, Mumbai, Narsapur, Nasik, Pune, Sanjgaon, Shimla and Thiruvananthapuram.
