UK coffee chain EL&N launches in Malaysia

London-based EL&N has made its first foray into Asia with a store at the Pavilion shopping centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The site, which features indoor and terraced seating, is the boutique café chain’s 30th globally and its second market entry in the last two months following its Bahraini debut in Amman in June 2023.

EL&N currently operates 15 outlets across Europe, 12 of which are in its native market, and 14 across the Middle East, primarily in Saudi Arabia.

“We are so thrilled to finally be opening our first outlet in Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Today marks the first EL&N in Asia and myself and the team are so proud and excited to be bringing the brand to such an incredible part of the world. The store location is an absolute dream come true for us and we are so confident that our Malaysian clientele are going to love everything we have on offer, from the unique interior design moments to our fusion of European dishes with some localised twists,” said Alexandra Miller, Founder EL&N.

Pavilion Kuala Lumpur features more than 700 retail units, with its food and beverage offer including several boutique café operators.

Japanese specialty café group % Arabica, Taiwanese chain HWC Coffee and Hong Kong-based The Coffee Academïcs all operate in the shopping centre, alongside Italian coffee roaster illycaffé. US coffee chains Starbucks and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf both operate two stores at the mall.

Indonesian value-focused chain Kopi Kenangan and South Korean bakery café chain Paris Baguette also made their Malaysian debuts at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, joining domestic boutique brands Dome Café, Artelier Coffee and Tom&Danny.

EL&N, which is also expected to open outlets in India soon via a franchise partnership with Reliance Brands, is the latest international brand to launch or announce its upcoming entry in Malaysia.

In July 2023, Indonesian specialty coffee roaster and café chain Tanamera Coffee opened its first Malaysian store in Kuala Lumpur, while Moroccan café chain Bacha Coffee announced it will debut in the southeast Asian country at the Suria KLCC shopping centre in the capital city.

Additionally, Saudi Arabian coffee chain Barn’s has partnered with Premier Fine Foods to open stores in Kuala Lumpur as part of plans to reach 300 outlets across southeast Asia by 2033.

World Coffee Portal research forecasts the total Malaysian branded coffee shop market will exceed 2,700 outlets by 2025.