Dubai-based Saleh Bin Lahej Group is to invest in twenty-two new outlets in the next two years to expand The Pizza Company and Swensens ice cream brands into the UAE.
Saleh Bin Lahej Group, which also represents Chillis and Kenny Rogers in casual dining, has a diversified portfolio including construction, building materials, maintenance and real estate.
The company recently signed a deal with Thai restaurant giant the Minor Food Group, to bring in the group’s two brands — The Pizza Company and Swensens — into the UAE, Oman and Qatar.
The Minor Food Group has already penetrated the GCC market with a franchaise agreement in Kuwait. This is the group’s first attempt to expand in these three countries.
Mohammad Saleh Bin Lahej, group managing director of Saleh Bin Lahej, said: “We are planning to open 10 outlets of the Pizza Company and 12 outlets of Swensens ice cream in the UAE during the first two years. We are working on to open the first pizza outlet in January 2005.”
He, however, did not specify the timeframe for launching the brands in Oman and Qatar.
William Heinecke, CEO of the Pizza Company, said, “Our partnership with Saleh Bin Lahej Group, one of the most respected business families in Dubai, will give us a strong platform for expansion and growth of the Pizza Company and Swensens ice cream brands.
“We customise all our menus for local tastes, and it would be great to introduce a speciality pizza or ice cream confection with a Middle East theme.”
