Doutor Coffee (株式会社ドトールコーヒー) is a Japanese retail company that specializes in coffee roasting and coffee shop franchising. It was founded by Toriba Hiromichi.
Information
The company currently has over 900 locations in Japan, has begun expansion in Taiwan and most recently, in Malaysia and Singapore. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Doutor Coffee has over 1,200 outlets altogether.[1]
Doutor Coffee is described by Bloomberg as appealing to "Old Japan" with its low prices and smoker-friendly environment compared to its competitor Starbucks.[2]
History
Doutor Coffee opened the first European styled café in Harajuku, Japan on 18 April 1980. The size of the small shop was only nine square meters. Despite the small size and local competition, the Doutor Coffee shop succeeded and has expanded to the company that it is now.