• Grand Opening in City Center Al Zahia, Sharjah, Expects Further Expansion

Sharjah, UAE: Châteraisé Premium YATSUDOKI conducted the grand opening of their famous brand in City Center Al Zahia, Sharjah, marking their second branch in the UAE, and third overall under the coveted Châteraisé brand. The grand opening received inauguration gestures from Mr. SEKIGUCHI Noboru, Consul-General of Japan in Dubai; Mr. Fuad Sharaf, Managing Director of the UAE Shopping Malls at Majid Al Futtaim; Mr. Nobuyuki Nakajima, Managing Director of JETRO Dubai and MENA; and Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding; which displayed a true testament on the strength of UAE and Japanese relations.

After celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations earlier in the year, the UAE and Japan continue to expand on their strong ties of diplomatic and financial collaborations, where bilateral trade has reached $30.5 billion last year alone[1]. The UAE is also host to around 4,300 Japanese expats and 350 Japanese companies[2] through various sectors which also includes infrastructure and energy. YATSUDOKI has now become a symbol of cultural integration within the UAE which represents the art of fine Japanese sweets, and business has expanded outside of Dubai to Sharjah in order to meet the increased demand of consumers, which further demonstrates the appreciation between the two nations.

Mr. SEKIGUCHI Noboru, Consul-General of Japan in Dubai, expressed his delight during the opening, stating: “We are happy to be invited here today for the grand opening of YATSUDOKI’s second branch in Sharjah. As we are celebrating the 50-year anniversary of Japan and UAE relations, it is a special time to coincide with the opening and it goes to show the great connection we have between our two nations. As a representative of Japan, not only in Dubai but across the UAE, we are thrilled to see our Japanese culture extend into Sharjah.”

Mr. SEKIGICHI further praised the efforts of YATSUDOKI’s methods of using the finest ingredients from Japan and local UAE farmers, stating: “We are making the utmost efforts to promote Japanese sweets, and since they are lighter than western sweets, the choice of ingredients are very important. We are delighted to see YATSUDOKI continue this tradition by using Japanese techniques and choosing the best ingredients, as many expats have now come to love our sweets.”

Mr. Nobuyuki Nakajima, Managing Director of JETRO Dubai and MENA, stated: “It is extremely exciting to witness one of the top Japanese confectionary brands Châteraisé Premium YATSUDOKI expand their presence in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. I hope more people in the UAE now will enjoy the high-quality confectionary from Japan.”

With an extensive history dating back to 1955 in Yamanashi, Japan, Châteraisé, a Japanese Style French Patisserie, now has more than 1000 stores in Japan alone. International branches initially started opening in 2012 beginning in The Netherlands, then eventually on to Singapore and Taiwan. Châteraisé Premium YATSUDOKI opened their first branch in 2009 in Tokyo and then opened their first international branch in 2020 within the United Arab Emirates, with their initial branch opening in the Mall of the Emirates.

YATSUDOKI provides specialty sweets made from the freshest internationally combined ingredients from Japan, local contracted farmers, and cultured cheese and butter from Europe to give the finest blend of elements to taste in every bite. YATSUDOKI produces a wide range of Japanese western cakes such as fresh cream cakes, swiss-rolls, baked confectioneries, Japanese pastries, Japanese specialty hot and cold drinks, and many more variety products to satisfy the appetite.

Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, stated: “Today is another proud moment in the history of Châteraisé with the opening of this second branch of its premium brand YATSUDOKI in Sharjah. It is also a great pleasure to be joined by Mr. SEKIGUCHI Noboru, the Consul-General of Japan in Dubai, for we are delighted to contribute towards incorporating our desire for great success together with the noble people of Japan.”

Eng. Anas continued: “We are pleased to say that YATSUDOKI is now open for franchising locally in the UAE and the GCC. After such great success with the YATSUDOKI branch in the Mall of the Emirates, we received many enquiries regarding opening another branch that would be available to our wider customer base, or if we would at least provide delivery to their area, so it was seen necessary to develop the brand across the UAE into Sharjah to make YATSUDOKI more accessible for them. We are now expecting further expansion.”

INDEX Trading and Investment, a subsidiary of INDEX Holding, is an Emirati owned and Dubai based strategic investment company that provides innovative services that caters comprehensive solutions to clients around the world, and is the exclusive partner of Châteraisé in the Middle East.

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For more information, please contact:
Abdel Rahman Rabie
Public Relations Executive, INDEX Media
Email: abdelrahman.rabie@index.ae