ABELA IN EXPANSION MODE
Food service management firm aims to become regional leader
dubai — Food service management company, Abela and Co, is on a local and regional expansion streak that will see the company expand its operations to include all of the seven emirates in the UAE, top officials at the company said.
“Our main focus over the coming years is to continue building on our success and to further expand our operations,” said Abdulkarim Hannawi, chief executive officer of Abela and Co, in an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times.
“Last year, we opened a state-ofthe-art kitchen in Abu Dhabi and this year we opened a new kitchen in Fujairah to complement the two operational kitchens we already have in Dubai.
“In addition, we also expanded our presence in the region and now operate offices and manage operations in Qatar and Egypt. This is part of our long-term strategy to transform Abela and Co from a local market leader to a regional champion, and to set a new standard in our industry. Furthermore, our retail and franchise division will continue to drive our growth strategy in the medium to long term, with new openings expected not only within the UAE, but also within the region,” Hannawi explained.
Hannawi also said that since the company’s formation in 1967, its core area of focus remains the catering side of the business.
“We manage, in its entirety, the food service facilities and/or outlets on behalf of our customers in diverse sectors and industries including: industrial, education, healthcare, oil field and offshore, corporate dining, and hotel staff catering,” he said.
“Furthermore, we also ventured into the retail and franchising space a few years ago and this now forms an integral part of our core business offering — an area we are aggressively expanding on.”
Speaking on the company’s various restaurants, Hannawi said that the company’s first real venture into the retail and franchise space began in 2008, when it partnered with Sandella’s Flatbread Café, a US based franchise that had yet to venture outside of the US. In 2009, the company opened its first store at the American University Dubai and today operates over 15 outlets in corporate office buildings, educational institutions, hospitals and community malls across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Fujairah. Its most recent store opened in J3 Mall in Dubai, during the first quarter of 2014.
“In addition to our franchise busi-
We continue to see steady growth year on year, and in particular a high retention of our existing contracts
Abdulkarim Hannawi
ness, we have developed our own home grown brands to meet our customers’ demands and expectations — from a coffee shop concept called ‘Bean There’ to an authentic Lebanese restaurant ‘Baydar’, our in house portfolio has now grown to nine unique operating F&B concepts, the latest of which was launched in 2013 called Red Apron, a self service styled family casual dining restaurant located in Ibn Battuta Mall,” Hannawi revealed.
During the last 18 months, Abela and Co has invested over Dh35 million to support its future growth — including the upgrading of its current infrastructure, on retail, and on franchising.
“In terms of our performance, we continue to see steady growth year on year, and in particular a high retention of our existing contracts, which in our industry is an important measure of how well we are doing,” Hannawi noted.
“Last year was an exciting year for us not only in terms of new contracts, but also as we continue to affirm our position in the region. We look forward to continuing on this growth trajectory, in particular in the run up to Dubai Expo 2020.”
Highlighting the importance of food safety and quality in the industry, Hannawi said that Abela and Co has always set a precedence to achieve the highest level of food safety and quality.
“We were the first food service management company in Dubai to be awarded with the HACCP System Certification endorsed by Dubai Municipality as recognition of our dedication to food safety and hygiene,” he said.
“More recently we upped the bar and became one of the first companies in our industry to have our Food Safety Management System ISO 22000:2005 certified.”
Hannawi also elaborated on Abela and Co’s various CSR initiatives. “Through our tie up with organisations such as the Emirates Environmental Group and the Dubai Municipality, the management team and employees have participated in several campaigns to promote a greener and healthier tomorrow,” he said.
“In addition, and as part of our quest towards community economic development, Abela and Co has teamed up with the organisations such as the Beit Al Khair Society in the form of helping in the distribution of monthly aids to the poor and by assisting staff at the Rashid Pediatric Centre and Al Noor Centre for Children with Special Needs.”
“We are also exploring the possibility of supporting organisations such as The Little Wings Foundation - dedicated to providing medical assistance to children, living in the Mena region who have musculoskeletal deformities — and orphanages in the UAE,” he said.