Local brands standing firm

Inside a shop in a restored building on the corner of Sothearos Boulevard and Street 266, nearly 10 Cambodians wearing the same uniform are walking around and cleaning tables. …

By the end of this year, Brown Coffee will have a total of eight branches in Phnom Penh. It also entered into agreement with Japanese retail shop AEON, paving the way for a ninth outlet in the mall that is scheduled to open in 2014.

Despite international competitors flocking into the Kingdom’s food and beverage industry, local companies like Brown are intent on defending their territory.

According to Owen Williams, manager of CB Richard Ellis (Cambodia), a market research company, a number of domestic establishments have performed well in the Cambodian market, but the arrival of popular brands is also a sign that local shops need to improve their services to keep up. …

In the past 12 months, more mid-range brands, especially in the food and beverage industry, have piled into Cambodia. In February, Costa Coffee, the second-largest coffee chain in the world and the largest in the UK, opened a shop in Phnom Penh. …

Hor Kimsay
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/local-brands-standing-firm