A popular Japanese coffee chain will return to the Philippines this year.
On January 5, the Instagram page Arabica journal, the international handle of the Arabica brand, uploaded photos of its soon-to-open stores in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.
The post came a year after it made headlines for suddenly closing branches in the country.
“Manila, we will restart our project this year with these stores. This is a sneak preview of our upcoming stores in BGC, opening in 2023,” Arabica journal said.
“We will announce the opening dates later on. We cannot wait to serve our coffee from the world to you once again,” it added.
The photos of the upcoming stores showed minimalistic décor and high ceiling spaces. These are similar to Arabica Philippines’ previous store designs.
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Arabica journal has yet to issue an opening date and other details about its return to the Philippine market.
Arabica, stylized as %Arabica, opened its first branch in BGC in Taguig in 2018.
The coffee shop later became a favorite hangout spot in Manila, particularly among office workers near the area, because of its coffee offerings and minimalist interiors.
In January 2022, however, several patrons were surprised to see its BGC outlets with closed signs.
Arabica later confirmed in an online letter that it has ended its franchise in the Philippines.
At that time, the company stated that it was working with a new partner to reopen in the country.
No other details were also provided in the letter.
“We have selected a new partner already and will make a fresh start this year to expand throughout the country. Please wait for a couple of months for the new opening announcement,” Arabica said before.
READ: What happened to % Arabica PH? Japanese coffee chain pens letter to Philippine customers
During its absence, %Arabica’s former partners launched a Filipino-owned coffee venture called Angkan Coffee Company in some of the Japanese chain’s previous locations.
%Arabica, meanwhile, is an independent Japanese coffee shop that was founded by Kenneth Shoji and World Latte Art champion Junichi Yamaguchi.
Since its launch in September 2014, the business expanded and opened more than a hundred outlets worldwide.
