FMCG major Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has shut its coffee chain Bru World Cafés after five years of operation.
“Yes, we have decided to close our Bru World Cafés..We had three cafés operating in Mumbai and all of them were company owned outlets,” HUL spokesperson said in statement.
The Bru World Cafés were launched to enable the brand have a deeper consumer engagement. It was not launched as a standalone business model, the spokesperson added.
When asked for the reason of closing down the business, the company said: “We have had very rich learnings over the five years of the operations of Bru World Cafés. These learnings have helped us bring more consumer relevant innovations which have contributed to the success of Bru as the largest selling coffee brand in India.”
The company had launched Bru World Cafés to give “world coffee experiences to be enjoyed out of home” for its customers.
Earlier this year, HUL split its foods and refreshments (F&R) business into two separate units in line with its global category structure.
HUL’s food business includes Knorr soup, Kissan jams and ketchups, Annapurna atta and salt. Its refreshment brands include Bru coffee, Lipton tea and Kwality Walls ice-creams. Bru is Unilever’s only coffee brand.