US brand Smoothie King has announced that it has expanded into the Gulf via a partnership with Dubai conglomerate Al Ghurair.
The franchise said it had opened its first regional outlet in the BurJuman mall, in Bur Dubai, with a view to launching an additional 45 stores across the GCC over the five years.
Al Ghurair Retail, a division of the family giant, has the rights to operate the franchise in the GCC.
It is the first move into the food and beverage sector for Al Ghurair Retail, which currently represents six fashion brands. Al Ghurair also owns and manages the Al Ghurair Centre, a mall in the Deira district of Dubai.
Founded in 1973, Smoothie King has over 800 outlets in the US, South Korea, the UAE and the Cayman Islands, and has plans to open in Trinidad and Tobago this autumn.
The firm has said it is also mulling plans to open in Japan, China, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Peru, with a view to having 1,000 locations by the end of this year.
Al Ghurair operates in more than 20 countries, and employs 70,000 people across the region. Its core interests are in construction, foods, resources and property, with additional interests in energy, printing, education and retail.
Follow us on
