BinHendi Enterprises expects to sign at least 10 franchises for its home-grown Japengo Cafe chain of restaurants in neighbouring GCC countries by next year, its president said yesterday.
Mohi-Din bin Hendi, the president of the Dubai-based retail group, which has a portfolio of more than 60 brands and 100 stores across the country, said the company would be signing up at least 10 franchises by the end of the year. “We’ll start with our neighbouring countries, then we’ll go out. The Far East is on our agenda and the US is on our agenda,†Mr bin Hendi said. The group would keep its focus on the GCC region until western economies improved, he said.
BinHendi began the process in the middle of last year, making it one of the few UAE-based retailers to start franchising out its own brands. Usually, most local retail groups bring franchises of successful retail chains from the West, such as Starbucks and Hugo Boss, into the UAE.
“Retail is something quite new in the region,†said Laurent-Patrick Gally, a retail analyst with Shuaa Capital. “Although we have had shopping malls for several years, the concept of organised retail, and developing your own brand, is quite new.â€
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