Esquires Coffee Houses - Franchise Opportunity

Who are Esquires?

Esquires Coffee Houses is New Zealand’s fastest-growing coffee franchise. The system was brought here from Canada in 2001 by Stuart Deeks, a former senior executive in international food and beverage marketing, and his brother Lewis. After running three pilot stores in central Auckland for two years, the first franchisees were appointed in 2004.

Innovative marketing, excellent site selection and, above all, superb franchisee selection and training have since enabled Esquires to expand aggressively throughout New Zealand and more recently in Fiji as the brand is moved into new overseas territory.

Esquires are part of the Retail Food Group. Other brands in the Group are:

Brumby's GO!

Brumby's Bakeries

Donut King

What makes Esquires different?

The Esquires brand targets people looking for quality 100% Fair Trade coffee and a quality experience. Stores offer a relaxing environment where customers can read the latest international newspapers, have an informal meeting or watch the business news on plasma screen TV. Most outlets feature wi-fi ‘hotspots’ where people can log on to the internet from their own laptops and surf the web for free with any purchase. Depending on location, Esquires attracts business-people, shoppers, theatre-goers, tourists and other discerning customers.

Each outlet uses locally-roasted Fair Trade coffee beans and the latest in barista technology to ensures coffee is ground fresh for every cup, thereby maximising freshness and flavour. Esquires’ food menu offers a wider selection than other cafes as food is brought in rather than prepared on-site. This means no kitchens, lower costs and fewer staff. Margins are therefore high.

To help franchisees achieve the best possible return on investment, all outlets feature the latest stock control and accounting software, access to the latest profiling system for employee recruitment and even seven day access to an employment lawyer for contracts and staffing issues.
Esquires is the only major café chain in New Zealand to use exclusively Fair Trade coffee beans, and has received much positive publicity for doing so.

Esquires has also just launched New Zealand's most innovative loyalty card system called the Fairshare^TM card. Instead of the ubiquitous cardboard stamp card, this is a plastic pre-paid charge card that rewards regular customers with discounts and special offers and allows Esquires to build a valuable database of its most regular customers. But the innovation continues with a special feature that allows customers to gift a share of their discount to a very worthwhile New Zealand kids charity, Cure Kids.

Award Winners

Esquires was named as Franchise System of the Year – Food & Beverage in the Westpac New Zealand Franchise Awards in both 2005 and 2006. In 2006, the Awards judges commented that ‘excellent systems and well-managed reporting are at the heart of the organisation’s business success, and that business and support processes are particularly well-developed and continually improved upon through practical experience.’ 

Where are the opportunities?

Esquires will be opening at least 10 new outlets in 2009 and is recruiting franchisees nationwide.

What money do I need?

Esquires operates a highly flexible investment structure on a range of café types including mall, high street and kiosk locations. Investment levels start from $220,000 plus a $75,000 franchise fee. Esquires has such a good reputation as an investment that most of the banks are now prepared to lend 60% of the funds based on turnover. Equipment and furniture can also be financed, keeping investment levels down.

What return can I expect?

Once mature, an Esquires Coffee House should provide an attractive six-figure return. Several Esquires franchisees are already multiple site owners and an established outlet is a valuable asset to fund borrowing for further Esquires stores.

What background do I need?

Esquires franchisees don’t need to have food and beverage experience, but they do need to be able to manage a growing and dynamic business. Successful Esquires franchisees include investors, bank managers, professional sportsmen, experienced businessmen and couples creating a new enterprise together. A track record of achievement in any field, commitment and a willingness to learn are all that is needed.

Training & Support

Esquires Coffee Houses provide a superb in-house training programme to new franchisees and backs this up with monthly visits from head office staff and ongoing support as required. There are extensive manuals covering all aspects of the business and an intranet providing updates and advice.