Al Farooj invests Dhs30m into aggressive GCC wide expansion plan

This was announced on the occasion of openining ceremony of two new outlets in Sharjah on Thursday.

Al Farooj has now been expanded to total of 19 branches that include: 16 in UAE, 1 in Lebanon and 2 in Oman - offering a variety of freshly grilled and tasty shawerma sandwiches and a unique charcoaled chicken menu.

The opening ceremony was inaugurated by the chief executive officer of Al Islami Foods Mr. Saleh Abdullah Lootah. The high officials from the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Sharjah Municipality along with the elite business community and top managers from Al Islami group, Al Farooj Fresh chain of retaurant, Al Islami Meat Shop and Al Islami Cart were invited to the occasion.

Saleh Lootah, while speaking on the occasion, commented:

"We are pleased to offer an alternative, completely halal, fresh food range which is specially produced for the tastes of the Middle Eastern consumers. Al Farooj expansion is part of greater "BIG 5" development plan to consolidate its hospitality segment. More outlets will be established across the GCC region by year end"

Since the aquisition of Al Farooj by Al Islami group, the Al Farooj brand has gone through a complete overhaul to adapt to the attitudes and tastes of a multicultural consumers living in the Middle East region.

Franchising:

Beside a fresh food option, Al Farooj is ready for franchising for an intelligent investment into Quick-Service-Restaurant (QSR) business based on return-on-investment. "To compete with international QSR chains in the region, we are looking for partners who have a solid infrastructure, commercial capabilities and who control a territory of consumers. We are not looking to those who are one-man-operated single units. We are looking for those who help the brand to spread with a strong impact and in parallel to the international chains operating in the region," Saleh Lootah asserted.

MoU with Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment:

Soon after introducing Al Farooj a solid and viable franchise model last year, Al Islami signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for Young Business Leaders (SME.ae) to offer Al Farooj for franchising to the regional investors and entrepreneurs interested to start restaurant business.