Franchise Brands Continue To Expand Internationally in October

By: Eddy Goldberg
Published: October 25th, 2022

October 2022… more than 2½ years into a business world forever changed by Covid, global businesses have learned to adapt and continue to expand into new countries. This month our international deals roundup reports on an Australian smoothie brand entering Cambodia, a U.S. pizza and ice cream brand debuting in Egypt, a U.S. “better chicken” brand continuing its growth in the U.K., two U.S. fitness brands expanding abroad, and two U.S. automotive service brands setting up shop overseas.

• Boost Juice has signed a memorandum of understanding with EFG (Express Food Group), Cambodia’s leading F&B operator, to bring the Australian smoothie and juice brand to Cambodia. The first stores are expected to open in December. EFG is committed to open 20 Boost locations in Cambodia within 5 years. The agreement also covers future store openings in Laos and Myanmar. Stores are expected to be located in airports, shopping malls, and gas stations tapping into Asian needs for grab & go, convenience retail, and a healthy daily beverage trend.
• Happy Joe’s Pizza & Ice Cream has opened its first restaurant in Egypt. Located in the Cairo suburb of Roxy, Heliopolis, the new restaurant is already tracking higher guest traffic than its U.S. counterpart on comparable orders over the same multi-week timeframe, according to the company. Ahmed El Batran of H.J. Middle East LLC, plans to open several more Happy Joe’s restaurants across Egypt over the next 5 months, starting with locations in the Giza suburb of Sodic, the Mall of Egypt, and the Mall of Arabia before the end of the year.
• Slim Chickens, the fast casual “better chicken” brand based in Fayetteville, Arkansas, continues to expand globally with another opening in the U.K., this one in Wolverhampton’s Sainsbury’s Supermarket. Multi-unit operating group Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) has partnered with the Sainsbury’s team to open the location within its Restaurant Hub concept. Slim Chickens has opened more than 190 locations in the U.S. and the U.K. and currently has more than 1,100 locations in development.
• Snap Fitness has expanded its presence in Central Saskatchewan with the opening of a new location, its third in the province. The new gym, in Warman, is owned and operated by local entrepreneur Jared Rodgers, who also operates three other Snap Fitness clubs with his wife and co-owner Hailey Rodgers.
• Tint World Automotive Styling Centres has opened a new location in Concord, Ontario. From his new facility, franchisee Amir Arjomand offers local customers a variety of automotive services, including sales and installation of auto accessories, mobile electronics, audio-video equipment, security systems, custom wheels and tire packages, window tinting, vehicle wraps, paint protection films, detailing services, nano ceramic coatings, and maintenance and repair services.
• Xponential Fitness has signed a master franchise agreement in Kuwait for its brands Rumble, Club Pilates, StretchLab, and CycleBar. The deal with Kuwaiti real estate company Aqarat, calls for opening a minimum of 8 studios early in the initial 10-year term of the agreement. Aqarat is a developer and manager of commercial, residential, and hospitality properties in Kuwait and the Middle East, as well as in Europe and the U.S. Aqarat also has investments and joint venture agreements with the hospitality brands Yotel, Courtyard by Marriott, and IFA Hotels and Resorts.
• Ziebart has expanded its international growth across 7 new countries. With more than 400 locations and 1,200 service centers in 36 countries, Ziebart has announced signed master franchise agreements in The Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kuwait, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Greece. “We continue to see heightened demand for vehicle protection services domestically and overseas,” said Thomas A. Wolfe, president and CEO of Ziebart International Corp.

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