A North Vancouver business owner is betting that his successful model of selling deluxe mixes of dried fruits and nuts will also do well with customers hopping store to store at shopping malls.
Ayoub’s Dried Fruits & Nuts has launched its newest location at Park Royal South in West Van, more than 15 years after opening the vendor’s first store on Lonsdale Avenue.
For his eighth location, Amir Hosh said he wanted to try out his store in a mall setting.
“If you can make the make business work, it opens up a lot of opportunities across Canada,” he said.
While the store’s offerings has roots in the food and flavours of his country of origin, Iran, Ayoub’s appeal goes far beyond the Persian community, Hosh said.
“More than 80 per cent of our customers across all the stores are non-Persian,” he said. “In Kitsilano, for example, and South Surrey, there’s not a large Iranian population there, but the stores are successful.”
Hosh has broadened the appeal of his store significantly since opening, and has plans to continue that trend.
“The concept that we brought is a very popular concept in the Middle East, but my mission is to Westernize it and take it across Canada, and potentially even further,” he said.
The new Park Royal store continues this theme, with its emphasis on elevated gifting options, Hosh said.
“It’s aimed to take us out of a niche concept and to more of a Western concept,” he said. “That’s the goal here.”
Fresh in-store roasting sets business apart, owner says
But what will always be a part of the brand, and is included at the West Van location, is roasting and drying the products on site.
“With every store, what sets us apart is that freshness, “Hosh said. “That way we don’t have to use additives or preservatives to keep the nuts fresh. It’s always done and sold right there.”
The tantalizing aromas emanating from the roasters are also a natural marketing tool, drawing new customers into the store, he said.
After opening earlier in March, the new location is doing well, bringing in around 150 to 200 customers daily, Hosh said.
“Every mall in B.C. could have an Ayoub’s,” he said with a smile.
While Hosh was born in Iran, he grew up in North Vancouver and calls himself a proud Canadian.
“I will always have our head office … in North Van,” he said. “That’s where I was made.”
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