Fish and chips restaurant chain Harry Ramsden’s is to return to Saudi Arabia after agreeing a franchise arrangement that will see three restaurants open initially.
The partnership with the HAAB Group will see the first site in Jeddah open before the end of the year.
Harry Ramsden’s chief executive Joe Teixeira said it was his intention was firmly set on re-establishing the brand’s visibility overseas, as well as expanding in the UK.
He said: “Given their past experience and intimate knowledge of our brand, the HAAB Group is the perfect partner for us in this venture. I believe the fact that Harry Ramsden’s is now set to return to the Kingdom clearly underlines both the popularity and longevity of its appeal.
Harry Ramsden’s has opened 18 across the Welcome Break network recently and has new outlets trading in Yorkshire, Scotland and Sussex. The brand’s newest international site is scheduled to open in Qatar later this year.
Teixeira said: “Undoubtedly, it is our intention to further strengthen the Harry Ramsden’s brand across the UK, increasing both the number of outlets and volume of sales; however our sights are also firmly set on re-establishing the brand’s visibility overseas. We are absolutely committed to making Harry Ramsden’s much more accessible to the admirers it has, and continues to attract, both nationally and internationally.”
HAAB Group chief executive Ahmed Alamoudi said: “We are delighted to announce the return of Harry Ramsden’s to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our group is more familiar than most with the brand, since it was members of our executive board, with over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality sector, who were responsible for initially introducing the concept to Saudi Arabia a number of years ago. We have been most impressed with the successful repositioning of the brand in recent times and know from our own experience that there is a huge appetite for its offering across the Kingdom, so we are entering into this new partnership with great confidence.”
