Jumeirah's Urbano eyes international growth

Italian restaurant brand inks deal for expansion into Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Turkey

Jumeirah Restaurants, a unit of the Jumeirah Group, said on Monday it has signed two franchise agreements for the expansion of its Urbano brand.

The deals will see Urbano, its Italian restaurant concept, open soon in Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Turkey.

Jumeirah Restaurants said it has signed a licensing agreement with a key F&B market leader in Bahrain to open Urbano restaurants in Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain.

The first Urbano in Bahrain will open in Seef District in late 2012, it said in a statement.

In Turkey, Jumeirah Restaurants has signed with BCF Group to open the Urbano restaurant in Aqua Florya Mall, located in an affluent neighbourhood of Istanbul. The restaurant is scheduled to open in October.

Urbano, which serves authentic Italian cuisine, opened its first outlet in Souk Al Bahar in Dubai in 2008.

Urbano is the second restaurant concept developed by Jumeirah Restaurants to expand internationally.

Starting out as a UAE home-grown brand in 2002, the Noodle House is currently operational in 13 countries and is set to enter Russia, Lebanon, Great Britain, Morocco and Bahrain in the coming months.

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