Karkosik pours zł.10 million into eCoffee

The move is in line with Karkosik's new strategy of buying stakes in private companies with high-growth potential with a view to listing them eventually on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE). eCoffee is looking to move aggressively into the rapidly growing Polish market for coffee shop chains, which is worth an estimated zł.1 billion and is expected to grow by 5-10% annually over the coming years. The company wants to open 10-15 stores per year over the next four years. By 2011, it  wants to have 100 shops and have a 20% share of the Polish market. If everything goes according to plan, Costa Coffee could be listed on the WSE in three years' time. Its owners also see expansion opportunities in other CEE markets. Following Karkosik's investment, eCoffee now has zł.16 million in cash to fund its growth. Opening a coffee shop in Poland is thought to cost zł.400,000. (Puls Biznesu, p. 9) R.M.