Heavenly Desserts co-founder and managing director Yousif Aslam says there is still “plenty of whitespace” for the brand, as it looks towards reaching the 100-site mark globally, by the end of 2025.
“We are very much on track for that, based on the pipeline we have internationally,” he tells MCA, adding, “We have got a lot of development to do in London and the South Coast.”
With an existing presence in Southampton and Brighton, the 56-strong dessert business is eyeing additional towns such as Bournemouth and Portsmouth.
Additionally, “London is a real opportunity,” with two more stores set to open this summer, in Ealing and Elephant and Castle.
Discussing the brand’s current attitude to expansion, the co-founder says, “Despite the economy being where it is, and investor confidence in new franchises being at an all time low, we are still experiencing a respectable level of growth.”
This month, Heavenly Desserts has opened in Dundee, its seventh site in Scotland, and a third site in Birmingham, both of which have received a “fantastic reception,” according to Aslam.
“Beyond these sites we have a stream of openings happening between the summer and December.”
“From a sector perspective, amongst our competitors we are still the fastest growing chain, we are really pleased about that and it is a testament to our business model and the experience we offer our guests, which we feel is very different to what is out their amongst our competitive set.”
Internationally, the brand has “all hands on deck” to open its second site in Canada, and will open its first site in South Asia later this year.
It also prepares to open a site in Hamburg, Germany, and a debut in India, in Dehli- “So we are very busy, and it is an exciting time for the business.”
After opening its first kiosk, or ‘pico’ store in Livingston Desinger Outlet, Scotland, Aslam sees high potential for this new format.
“It is very much in its first phase, we are now at a stage where we are driving the learnings from that. We will shortly rework the model and then begin a phase two roll out.
“We are really excited about that, we think that is going to open up lots of opportunities, especially in England.”
For him, the format is a key into major shopping centres, high footfall travel hubs, including airports or train stations, “That is another big project for us, we are looking to roll-out over the next 1 or 2 years.”
Beyond store openings, the business is looking to partner with some “select, reputable F&B brands.”
Last year, Heavenly Desserts partnered with Asian-inspired food-to-go brand itsu in the launch of new sweet bao buns.
“We are really happy with how that is going, and so one of the things we will be focusing on in the next 18 months is looking for the brands out there that are complimentary for us,” Aslam adds.
