Abu Dhabi-based Mair Group has agreed to buy 70 percent of the company behind Turkish coffee chain Espressolab, a target of an opposition boycott following the jailing of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last year.

Mair announced on Wednesday that it had signed an agreement to acquire 70 percent of Eslab, which owns the chain. The deal is subject to regulatory approval, and the companies did not disclose a price.

Eslab’s founders and other shareholders would retain the remaining 30 percent. The purchase would be Mair’s first international acquisition since it listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange in December 2024.

Espressolab had more than 400 shops in 21 countries as of August, including more than 310 in over 50 Turkish cities, according to Mair. Most of the shops operate as franchises. Mair’s other businesses include the Adcoop supermarket network, Spar stores in Abu Dhabi and Makani real estate.

Espressolab became a target of an opposition boycott launched in March 2025 after İmamoğlu, then President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s main political rival, was detained and jailed pending trial. His detention sparked protests across Turkey.

At a March 24 rally in İstanbul, Özgür Özel urged supporters to stop buying coffee from Espressolab. Özel then led the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and now heads the main opposition New Party. He named the chain among businesses the opposition accused of ties to the government or of failing to cover the protests.

Espressolab denied having political ties. It said the Kocadağ family owned the company and that it had no hidden shareholders or backers. “We make coffee, not politics,” the company said.

Figures from Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and government supporters later visited Espressolab branches to show support for the chain.

Espressolab chief executive Esat Kocadağ said in May 2025 that its revenue had fallen 22 percent over two months because of the boycott.