Chaiiwala posts 35% boost in global sales amid expansion drive

Indian street food and café brand Chaiiwala has reported a 35% boost in global system sales amid continued expansion across the UK and abroad.

In its results for the year ended 31 December 2024, sales increased across all markets from £66.4m in 2023 to £89.4m, with food and beverage each contributing roughly 50% to revenues.

During the period, the business sold more than nine million cups of Karak chaii (an 18% increase year-on-year) as well as more than 750,000 Wala wraps.

It said the launch of new ‘bolt-on’ menu items and bundles, such as ‘street snacks’, also increased average order values.

In the past year, Chaiiwala opened 24 new stores globally, 15 of which were in the UK, at locations including Birmingham Airport, London Luton Airport and Mellor Brook, Blackburn.

These were in addition to nine international store openings in cities such as Calgary in Canada and Al Barsh in Dubai.

Store formats included a drive-thru (Mellor Brook), as well as university campus sites with high student footfall (University of Calgary).

The group is targeting 500 openings over the next decade by leaning into existing multi-site franchisees in the UK and Canada, while also exploring new markets such as the US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

In the year to date, Chaiiwala has reported a 16% boost in system sales and the launch of six new stores, including a container concept at Watford Gap, which will offer a low capex format for franchisees to scale in high footfall locations, such as service stations, universities and shopping centres.

Muhummed Ibrahim, co-founder and chief executive officer of Chaiiwala, said: “When we first started Chaiiwala, there was a clear gap in the market for quality, on-the-go chaii and traditional Indian flavours that could be enjoyed at all dayparts. We took our passion for street food and chaii and created Chaiiwala from the ground up, bringing a unique and universally loved cuisine into a new format that can provide a delicious alternative to other high-street brands.

“Today, driven by the hard work and commitment of our fantastic teams across the business, we have cemented our position as the leading Indian street food and café brand and have incredible momentum. We have an expanding, global footprint in various formats, a strong network of hugely ambitious franchisees, and bold ideas for how we can keep delivering long-term sustainable growth and become a household name. These are really exciting times for Chaiiwala.”

Chaiiwala was founded in Leicester in 2015 and has since grown to a portfolio of more than 100 sites across the UK, more than 20 in Canada and a handful in Dubai.