The document discusses opportunities and challenges for opening a book café in Khulna, Bangladesh that combines books, coffee, and social interaction. It outlines a plan to divide the café into a quiet reading section and a general social section. It also discusses marketing strategies over three years, including memberships, referral programs, and partnerships. Contingency plans are proposed in case the business does not meet profit expectations or faces challenges like lack of customers, loss of interest, or natural disasters.

1. The state of café industry

2. ■ The café business has been proven a successful
merchandise throughout the centuries. Starting its
journey in 16th century, in the Ottoman Empire
(Istanbul, Turkey), this business has been adapted by
nearly every culture of the world. Today, the cafe
business is a global industry, continually evolving to
adapt to changing consumer preferences and emerging
trends. It continues to serve as a space for social
interaction, relaxation, and intellectual exchange, with
an emphasis on quality coffee, diverse menu offerings,
and a welcoming atmosphere.

3. GLOBAL INSTANT COFFEE MARKET
GEOGRAPHICAL SEGMENTATION
AMERICAS
20.46%
EUROPE
37.43%
MEA
6.85%
APAC
35.26%

4. This instant coffee
market in Europe is
projected to reach
USD 15.40 billion by
2020
APAC has significant
growth potential due
to its fast-growing
economies
urbanization and café
culture
The market for instant
coffee in MEA is
expected to reach USD
$2.86 billon by 2020
posting a CAGR of
4.73%
The instant coffee
market in North
America is the slowest
in growth due to
demand for fresh
coffee
The data above shows the unstoppable growth of the merchandise.

5. Bookmarks & Brews
“Welcome to the café that lets you dive deep
into the mystically vast realm of books by
unleashing your imagination through a cup
of perfectly brewed coffee.”

6. Opportunities
of a book
café
■ The busy lifestyle of the modern era
often stimulate the urge for a quiet
space and a cup of coffee in order to
generate constant attention for
completing professional tasks. That's
where the book cafe comes into play.
The peaceful environment of a book
café is always the top preference of the
students, employees and people who
love to get away from the crowd for a
certain amount of time. Like other
countries, Bangladesh is also observing
an upsurge in the café business.
Therefore, combining freshly brewed
coffee with books in a library like
atmosphere seems like a perfect idea
for startup

7. Some problems:
■ The south-eastern part
of the Asian continent
is renowned for its
uninterrupted
production of tea.
Especially, Bangladesh
has proudly secured its
long-term reputation
as the 12th largest tea
producer in the world.
So, shifting investment
towards café rather
than tea production
seems like a big
economic challenge
since the revenue
generated by tea is the
second largest and
holds 1% of total GDP
of Bangladesh.
■ Bangladesh is a
developing country. As
a result, the economy
and investment of this
country is mostly
capital-centric. To be
more precise, every
revolution starts from
Dhaka and then
spreads across the
country. Despite being
a significant city,
Khulna sometimes
falls behind when the
matter of adapting to
new ideas emerge.
This is an outcome of
the Dhaka-centric
■ The mass of Bangladesh
are more likely to prefer
tea because of its
availability and age-old
affiliation with
Bangladeshi culture.
Adults prefer going to
tea stalls rather than
going to any café.
Hence, attracting people
towards café is going to
require ceaseless
efforts if one wants to
stand out in the
competitive market.

8. Possible Solutions:
■ The café that the quartet dreams of must be constructed in a very accessible
part of Khulna city so that the customers may be able to visit the café whenever
they want.
■ The target customers are the youngsters because they go through cultural
exchange very often and are keen to accommodate with new concepts. That’s
why the current generation is more familiar with the café industry than their
preceding ones. If only the café’s appearance is made satisfactory to the
youngsters then will it turn into a flourishing business.
■ Since the café will have a reading section attached to it, gaining the attention of
sophisticated adults seem plausible. The reading section will not only be worthy
of reading but also a suitable place for all sorts of tasks that require solitude.
■ Appropriate advertisement is a great method to attract all types of customers.
The advertisement should cover details about the books of renowned authors,
different types of coffee and the variation of pastry items. The advertisement
should be done in a way so that the people who are not familiar with the café
culture may also develop inclination towards it.

9. Plan of action:
First of all, the café will be
divided into two parts (A general
section and a reading section).
The reading section will be
separated from the general
section for ensuring premium
reading experience. The entire
café will be decorated with
simplistic design accompanied
with cultural theme.

10. i)The reading section:
This section will be dedicated to reading
only so the peaceful environment must
be ensured. A large book shelf will be
installed which will have various sections
for books of different genres. A digital
librarian (A program) will always be there
to show the availability of the books and
help the customers find the book of their
choice. Soft white lights within a range
of 2700-3000K will be installed to
assure the best reading experience.
Lamps will also be provided to the tables
if the readers feel like adjusting the
lighting. This section can also be
effectively used for individual official

11. ii) The general section:
This section is mainly for public
gathering. Customers will gather here
mainly for spending quality time
together while enjoying a cup of
coffee or pastry items. The entire café
will be decorated with comfortable
gentle light. The lighting should be
neither too bright nor too dim. Soft
music can be played according to the
preference of the customers. Some
integral parts for this section are-

12. 1. University arena: Khulna is home to 3
significant institutions of Bangladesh. They
are Khulna University of Engineering &
Technology, Khulna Medical College and
Khulna University. Dedicating a portion of
the general section for constructing 3
different arenas for those 3 institutions will
stimulate interest among the students
which will eventually be beneficial for the
café. The arenas will showcase the
uniqueness of each of the institutions by
portraying a short description about their
glorious achievements. This will allow the
interaction between the universities to
increase. Consequently, the customer base
will grow rapidly.

13. ■ 2.Photography section: This part will be
decorated perfectly with adequate lighting. The
customers can expect high quality photos from
there.
■ 3.Wall of fame: A portion of the wall of the
café (behind the cashier) will have the printed
reviews of the loyal customers along with
their photos.
■ 4.Decoration: The walls will be embellished
with various paintings and some quotes of the
famous individuals.
■ 5.Environment-friendly: No items of the café will
be made of plastic. Aesthetic earthenware will be
used. This is an initiative to attract customers who
are environmentalists.

14. Marketing Scheme for 3
years:
1. Membership: After his/her 50th purchase a customer will be considered eligible
for membership. The membership holders will get special discounts on every item.
Membership can be bought even before the 50th purchase with a certain amount.
With every membership, customers will be given points and when the points will be
over, membership must be renewed. Students are more likely to get slightly better
discounts than the general customers.
The following steps will be taken for penetrating the market-
2. Consultancy service: A consultancy service shall be provided to the customers. A
male and a female consultant will be appointed who will interact with the customers
and consult them about the solution to their problems. Students are the target
customers in this case. Members with the highest purchase will get precedence.

15. 3. Referral coupons: members will be handed with referral coupons with
their names on it. If a member hands the coupon to a customer who’s
not a member will have points added to his/her customer account. If
the customer shows the referral coupon he/she will get 2% discount.
4. Joint business: As Shoma, Rikta, Abrar and Arpan already have a
steady business, they can utilize it to advertise about their new café.
Advertisement leaflets will be handed to the customers. Membership
holders of the café will get special discounts at their fast food based
restaurant, ‘Culinary Canvas’. Leaflets of the restaurant will be handed
to customers of the café also. This will leverage their parent brand’s
reputation
5. Staff: Some willing students of the varsities can be appointed as
stuffs. This will increase the fame of the café.
6. A page on social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram and other
media can be used for online advertisement. This page will be mainly
for the reviews of the customers.

16. Contingency plans:
■ If the business doesn’t meet the expected profit, contingency plans will be
implemented.
■ Risk scenarios-
■ As said before, familiarity of the café is industry isn’t high enough in Bangladesh
especially in cities like Khulna. So, finding customers may be a challenge.
■ Sometimes people lose interest of the café which is a great problem.
■ Natural disasters might occur in monsoon since Khulna is near the Bay of Bengal.
■ Funding is an essential aspect for every business. If the business finds it hard to
flourish in the market because of insufficient budget the consequences can be

17. Probable solutions-
■ If there’s shortage of customers in café then home delivery scheme shall be
applied. Pastry items will be delivered to the customers.
■ To retain the interest of the customers, new themes shall be applied to the café.
This will give them a feeling of uniqueness. Members will take part in giveaway
ceremonies. This will keep them involved with the café.
■ The structure of the building must be strong enough to handle the casualties of
disasters like earthquakes, cyclones etc.
■ An emergency fund must be kept in consideration for ensuring a future proof
business.