Tim Hortons announces UK rollout plans
Published: 20 April 2017
Tim Hortons, the famed Canadian café and bakeshop, has announced extensive plans for a rollout across the UK in 2017, the year of Canada’s 150th anniversary.
The first store will open on Argyle Street in Glasgow in the spring, before expanding nationwide over the next 12 months. Part of the fabric of Canada’s culture, and found in nearly every small town and city in the country, Tim Hortons was founded by its namesake, a famous professional ice hockey player who wanted to create a space where everyone would feel at home.
Now, as one of Canada’s most popular brands, eight out of 10 cups of coffee sold across Canada are served at Tim Hortons and more than 5.3 million Canadians – approximately 15 per cent of the population – visit the café daily.
Tim Hortons is part of Restaurant Brands International, one of the world’s largest quick-service restaurant companies, with more than $27billion (£21billion) in system sales and over 23,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.
The UK is a key strategic market for Tim Hortons and is the first European country to welcome the brand. Responsible for bringing Tim Hortons to the UK is SK Group, an experienced franchise operator that has already played a major role in the successful UK expansion of Domino’s Pizza.
“We’ve witnessed Tim Hortons’ phenomenal success in Canada and wanted to replicate this in Great Britain,” says Gurprit Dhaliwal, COO of Tim Hortons UK and Ireland.
“It’s hard to explain just how important Tim Hortons is to Canadians – it’s not just a restaurant, it’s a way of life and a place of ‘home’ – and we’re positive Great Britain will fall in love the brand.”
Elías Díaz Sesé, Tim Hortons’ president, says: “Bringing Tim Hortons to Great Britain and Glasgow is something we’re really excited about.
“Great Britain is a nation of coffee lovers, so we’re confident Tim Hortons will continue to be a leader in the quick-service restaurant sector across the pond.”
