Sahar Hashemi
Sahar Hashemi OBE is a UK entrepreneur. She is best known as co-founder of the coffee chain Coffee Republic and confectionery brand Skinny Candy. She was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to the UK economy and to charity. She has been named on various power lists, including those compiled by the Daily Mail, Independent on Sunday and Management Today.
Sahar Hashemi attended City of London School for Girls, obtaining a corporation exhibition scholarship. She studied Law at the University of Bristol. Upon graduation Hashemi trained and qualified as a solicitor with Frere Cholmeley Bischoff's (a 200-year-old firm in Lincoln's Inn Fields that folded in 1998).
Alongside brother Bobby, Hashemi developed and co-founded Coffee Republic, the UK's first US-style coffee bar chain. The first site opened on South Molton Street in 1995. The group was listed on AIM in 1998 by reversing into Arion Properties. Coffee Republic switched from AIM to the full list in July 2000. The chain had opened 108 stores by 2001, when Hashemi left the firm to write Anyone Can Do It: Building Coffee Republic from Our Kitchen Table.
Coffee Republic became one of the main businesses in UK high street coffee bars, competing with Starbucks, Café Nero, Costa and Pret a Manger. In July 2002, the group announced plans to halt its expansion programme, sell under-performing bars and launch a strategic business review as annual losses grew. On 7 July 2009, Coffee Republic went into administration, citing a difficult trading environment following the economic downturn of the period. At the end of July, following the closure of 18 Bars, Coffee Republic was bought out of administration by property firm Arab Investment Ltd. The new company trades as Coffee Republic Trading Ltd.[4][5]
Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons,Anyone Can Do It was written jointly by Sahar and Bobby Hashemi and describes the journey of turning Coffee Republic from an idea into a high street brand. The book is aimed at budding entrepreneurs. The authors seek to dispel the idea that entrepreneurs are inherently "special" people. The book has been translated into six languages. It reached number 1 on the Amazon.co.uk business chart and gathered endorsements from the DTI, The Princes Trust and Institute of Directors.
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