Europe's donut chain to set up shop in India

Thursday, 18 October 2007, 19:30 IST
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Bangalore: Geneva-based Global Franchise Architects (GFA) is set to introduce donuts in India with the opening of its first Donut Baker store in Bangalore. The company will introduce 47 varieties of donuts for the Indian market. "We are looking at five Donut Baker outlets in Bangalore in the next 30 days and 20 outlets in a few months. Depending on our experience here, we will start planning a pan-India rollout," said Fred Mouawad, chairman of GFA. "Indians have developed a taste for newer and different foods. I have done zero research whether we can do good business here, but I know for sure consumers in India are now more eager to adopt things quickly," Mouawad told IANS. The company has launched its first donut store here. It is called Donut Baker. The donuts would be moderately priced - 9 to 29 apiece. "We will take advantage of our existing infrastructure. But we will also open a chain of kitchens to bake the donuts as they have a shelf-life of about eight hours." The company, which entered India in 1996 with the first Pizza Corner outlet in Chennai, is planning 15 more outlets across the country in the next couple of years and 10 more Coffee World stores. GFA owns both these brands. GFA, a privately held company, has offices in Thailand, India, the US and the United Arab Emirates. It also runs two training academies in Thailand and India. Currently, GFA has 52 Pizza Corner outlets and over 10 Coffee Worlds in India spread across major cities. Some of its other brands are Cream and Fudge Factory, Golden Pretzel and New York Deli. "The Indian market is becoming hotter by the day. The market is opening up and Indian consumers are ready to experiment across all age groups," Mouawad said. According to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), India's food and beverages industry is likely to top revenues of $110 billion by March 2008, growing at nine percent cumulatively. The growth, the industry lobby says, has been driven by food parks, tax breaks, increased in foreign investment, more spending on supply chain infrastructure, a burgeoning middle class, modern retail formats and international road shows.
Source: IANS