Global Franchise Architects Forays into Eastern India
Signs Eastern India Franchise Agreement with Gama Hospitality Pvt. Ltd.; GHPL to hold exclusive rights to manage & operate the portfolio of GFA brands in Eastern India; Plans to open 35 outlets in the next 18 to 24 months
Tweet-- Global Franchise Architects (GFA) – the Switzerland based builder, operator & franchisor of specialty food brands - and Gama Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. (GHPL) - the Kolkata based hospitality brand - signed Eastern India Franchisee Agreement to launch GFA brands in Eastern India. The Master Franchisee Agreement was signed between Mr. Gaurav Agarwala – Founder & Director, GHPL and Mr. Fred Mouawad – Chairman & CEO – GFA Global Corp. in the presence of Mr. Joseph Cherian – CEO GFA India & MD – GFA Global Services. Under this agreement, GHPL will hold exclusive rights for managing and operating the portfolio of GFA brands in Eastern India.
GHPL is a new entrant to the hospitality market and is started by Mr. Gaurav Agarwala, a young city based entrepreneur. GFA is a pioneer in launching new food service brands and was the first to offer the premium coffee experience in India with the launch of Coffee World in 2004.
The entry of GFA into Eastern India will be marked by the opening of the first outlet of Coffee World and The Cream & Fudge Factory. Coffee World is a premium specialty coffee house that offers a comprehensive range of hot and cold coffees with fresh complementary foods such as Waffles, Sandwiches etc. The Cream & Fudge Factory is an international super premium, smooth and creamy ice-cream. The customer selects their favorite flavors of ice-cream, it is then hand folded together with the customer’s choice of mix-ins of nuts, fruits, candies and fudge on a frozen marble slab.
Speaking on the association with GFA and plans, Mr. Gaurav Agarwala, Director - Gama Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. said, “Under the Master franchisee agreement GFA in partnership with GHPL, plans to open 35 outlets across Eastern India in the next 18 to 24 months. The geography of the Master franchisee agreement spans West Bengal, Sikkim and the North Eastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland & Mizoram. Of the 35 stores, 15 stores will be opened by year of 2010. These stores will have a mix of GFA brands – Coffee World, Pizza Corner, The Donut Baker & and The Cream & Fudge Factory – either in the Combination or stand alone format”. Adding further he says, “GHPL’s consumer understanding and local market knowledge and execution capabilities along with GFA’s technical knowledge and global expertise in managing a portfolio of International food service brands make the partnership an holistic amalgamation of complementary strengths.”
“Speaking on GFA Global Corp. and its plans, Mr. Fred Mouawad, Founder, Chairman & CEO – GFA Global Corp. - said, “Globally, GFA has 9 Food Service Restaurant brands in its portfolio - Coffee World, Conizza, Juisomania, New York 5th Av. Deli, Pizza Corner, Stone Fire Pizza Kitchen, Golden Pretzel, The Cream & Fudge Factory and The Donut Baker. The economic slowdown has actually helped us expand globally with the real estate costs coming down. The market is ideal for expansion and we are currently targeting to open 250 stores globally by 2010. Given the opportunities, going further India would become one of the largest markets for GFA Global.”
Speaking on GFA India and it plans in India, Mr. Joseph Cherian, CEO – GFA India & MD – GFA Global Services, he said, “GFA is the only multi branded food service operator in India with a portfolio of 4 brands and the ability to open brands on a stand-alone basis or in combination with other GFA brands. Given the large portfolio of brands in the GFA stable, scaling up of operations is relatively easier for GFA than single brand operators. GFA has a unique proposition of combining its multiple brands under one roof thereby providing a wider target audience and a complete dining experience for the entire family. Currently we have 62 stores across our various brands in India and we are targeting to reach 100 stores by 2010”
Adding further on the foray into Eastern India he said, “Kolkata and other eastern parts of the country are rapidly growing markets and have not been tapped to their full potential. The food service market is very nascent here & offers great opportunities for new brands to penetrate and flourish. With the association of GHPL we are confident of penetrating the Eastern region”
Notes to Editor
About GFA (Global Franchise Architects) - www.gfacorp.com
Global Franchise Architects – GFA is the leading Switzerland based group that builds, operates and franchises a select portfolio of specialty food service brands.
Fred Mouawad - a global citizen and an entrepreneur known for launching successful and innovative ventures across different industries and countries formed Global Franchise Architects – GFA - in 2004 in order to group all his food service brands under one entity. GFA is a privately held company based in Geneva – Switzerland - with corporate offices in Thailand, India, and the UAE. The company has its Global Service Center in Bangkok and Training Academies in Bangkok – Thailand - and Bangalore - India. Currently the GFA brands are represented in 9 countries- Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Dubai, Oman, Vietnam, Indonesia, Sudan and China (Hainan). GFA has several advantages to offer its franchises, such as state of the art Quality Management system, combination stores, fully integrated capabilities, operate multiple brands through a single franchise agreement , ongoing support etc.
About GHPL - GHPL is a recently launched Kolkata based Hospitality venture initiated by Mr. Gaurav Agarwala. Mr. Agarwala has been heading Neora Hydro Ltd. since 2002 and Animark Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. since 1997. A graduate from Boston University, USA in Business administration Mr. Agarwala’s areas of core competencies are executive management, business ownership, international business relations, project management, franchising, consulting and e-business.