Federico Ortile has been appointed Managing Director of Simonelli Group Middle East Branch | Photo credit: Simonelli Group

Macerata-based Simonelli Group has set up a new support and sales hub in the UAE to bolster its presence in the Middle East's growing hospitality industry. 
 

The Italian espresso machine and coffee equipment manufacturer said the Dubai branch will enable it to provide improved support for existing and future customers in the region. 

“We are witnessing market evolutions that increasingly require our constant proximity to customers. For this, we need to provide better and faster support for our customers in their present and future strategies and to give them access to our knowlegde, equipment and services,” Simonelli Group said in a statement. 

World Coffee Portal research shows that UAE branded coffee shop market is the second largest by outlets across the Middle East at approximately 1,400 stores. The market is forecast to exceed 1,680 outlets by 2027. 

Near-term outlet growth is also expected across the wider Middle Eastern branded coffee shop market, which is forecast to reach 11,840 stores by 2027 at growth of 6% CAGR. 

Of the region’s major markets, Saudi Arabia is expected to lead outlet growth during the period at 8.5%, followed by Oman (8.1%), Egypt (7.5%) and Qatar (6.4%).  

Simonelli Group has also announced that Federico Ortile has joined the company as Managing Director of Simonelli Group Middle East Branch. 

Ortile most recently served as Regional Director for Business Development MEIA for Swiss super automatic espresso machine manufacturer Eversys, where he played a central role in opening a regional office in Dubai, UAE, to boost engagement with its customers across the Middle East. 
 

He also worked for Dubai-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain Coffee Planet as Head of Sales - International & Retail. 
 

Simonelli Group, which owns the Nuova Simonelli and Victoria Arduino espresso machine brands, reported sales of €121m ($133m) in 2022. The espresso machine and coffee equipment manufacturer has been led by CEO Marco Feliziani since April 2023.