RFG, Franchise Arabia team up for MENA expansion

Australia's multi-brand retail food franchise owner and global F&B company Retail Food Group (RFG) recently announced it has partnered with franchise portal Franchise Arabia to increase their growth potential in India and the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region.

The partnership highlights RFG’s focus on bringing world class brands to consumers who value quality and convenience, according to the company.

Nicholas Brill, divisional director international at RFG, said: “We at Retail Food Group are particularly excited by this partnership with Franchise Arabia because of their reputation across the MENA region. It enables us to increase the footprint of our brands in the Middle East and North Africa region, one of our key target markets. We believe brands such as Donut King, Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar and Michel’s Patisserie are ripe for expansion in this area.”

RFG currently has over 200 outlets in the MENA region through its Gloria Jean’s Coffee brand and the ‘It’s a Grind’ brand.

Omar Alhaza’a, founder and CEO of Franchise Arabia, reinforced their commitment to the RFG partnership: “The MENA region is experiencing growth across a range of related industries – franchising, restaurants, F&B and hospitality, so RFG is well positioned to leverage its global capabilities and work closely with Franchise Arabia to build a strong foundation for growth. We are excited about this partnership with a world-class powerhouse such as RFG and are looking forward to introducing the RFG brands to investors and consumers across the region.”

This agreement coincides with other recent RFG announcements through Gloria Jean’s Coffees master franchise agreements in the UK, the State of Palestine and Uzbekistan; and Donut King moving into the UK, Swedish and Myanmar markets.