Lebanese restaurant chain to expand in UAE

Dubai: UAE-based United Restaurant Development (URD), which runs Seattle's Best Coffee and Zaatar W Zeit outlets locally, said it plans to open 10 outlets of Lebanese restaurant chain Roadster Diner in the next five years under a franchise agreement.

The first outlet will be in Jumeirah.

Walid Hajj, chief executive officer of URD, said Roadster Diner has established itself as a leading casual dining brand in Leb-anon and his company is looking for similar success for it in the UAE.

"We are hoping to transfer the brand recognition from Lebanon to the UAE with its large Lebanese population," Hajj said.

He said the company will open outlets of the Lebanese brand in leading shopping malls and other busy commercial venues.

Roadster Diner, founded in 1998, has eight outlets in Lebanon and wants to expand abroad. "We are keen to accelerate our business expansion and are delighted to have found a partner who recognises our business philosophy," said Samer Chehlaoui, CEO of the Lebanese chain.

The retail sector is the second largest after real estate, which last year saw the addition of 630,000 square metres in retail space.

A five-year forecast indicates that there will be an additional 13.3 million square metres of gross leasable area available in the Middle East and 30 per cent of this will be hosted by Dubai malls, according to reports from Franchise International.

According to Retail International, Dubai's retailers alone have to generate $8 billion in sales by 2009 to sustain the massive increase in shopping centre space and retail activities.