Café Amazon to scale social enterprise model to 500 Asia Pacific stores

PTTOR plans to implement Café Amazon for Chance in 500 coffee shops across Asia Pacific by 2027 | Photo credit: Café Amazon

Café Amazon, the flagship coffee chain of Thai oil and retail operator PTT Oil and Retail Business (PTTOR), is expanding its Café Amazon for Chance initiative across Asia Pacific. 
 

Launched in 2018, the project seeks to ‘promote social equality and support underprivileged groups’ by offering employment and training to the elderly, those with learning difficulties and military veterans. 

There are currently 122 Café Amazon outlets in Thailand running the initiative, alongside a single store in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 

PTTOR plans to implement its Café Amazon for Chance project in 500 coffee shops across Asia Pacific by 2027. The coffee chain currently has more than 300 outlets across Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Vietnam. 

“After five years of Café Amazon for Chance implementation, a large number of Café Amazon franchisees have expressed interest to join the project. This has motivated us to consider expanding this model across the Asia Pacific region. By replicating this initiative in other countries, we are keen to extend the benefits and opportunities to even more individuals and communities,” said Racha U-thaichan, Senior Executive Vice President, Global Business, PTTOR. 

Founded in 2002, Café Amazon is one of the world’s largest coffee chains with more than 4,300 outlets across 11 Asian markets, as well as Oman and Saudi Arabia. 
 

In January 2021, Café Amazon announced plans to reach 5,800 stores by 2025. Earlier this year, PTTOR said it would invest $412m to open 400 new Café Amazon stores globally in 2023.  

Approximately 16% of the investment will focus on expanding Café Amazon’s international footprint as part of wider plans to reach 1,000 stores outside of Thailand by 2025.