Qatar Wins Bid For Burgerfuel


BurgerFuel Worldwide (BFW) announced today that it has signed the Master Licence Agreement to roll out BurgerFuel stores in the country of Qatar.

This quickly adds to the list of the New Zealand company’s MENA (Middle East, North Africa) territories with existing agreements already in place for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Iraq, and Egypt. 

BurgerFuel has partnered with the Al Siddiqi Group (SIG), well known in Qatar for a wide range of business activities. This includes the operation of a substantial hospitality portfolio with several premium food brands such as Biella, The Noodle House, Wafi Gourmet and the French restaurant chain Les Deux Magots. 

In addition to other industries SIG also operate the well known Al Motahajiba retail clothing chain across the Middle East which specialises in high end fashion for traditional Islamic dress for women. Their historic reputation and retail experience provides BurgerFuel with an excellent ability to secure premium retail locations.

BurgerFuel’s CEO of International Markets, Chris Mason, who is based in Dubai, said that “Qatar is another significant market for BurgerFuel as it’s developing quickly and further substantial expansion is under way over the next decade in preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup”.

Qatar has the world’s highest GDP per capita in the world and sits in between the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, where BurgerFuel is already operating stores in Dammam, Al Khobar and Dhahran.

The country attracts a large amount of investment, with over $100 billion earmarked for the energy sector over the next decade. Qatar will be the first Arab nation to host the FIFA Football World Cup.

BurgerFuel Worldwide CEO, Josef Roberts said that “the signing of the Qatar deal represented another strategic alliance with a strong and reputable Qatar based organisation”. He said “Our strategy of finding key entrepreneurial partners who are both financially strong and passionate about BurgerFuel in each country ensures that our future growth will be both rapid and sustainable”.

The New Zealand company, which exports pure New Zealand grass fed beef to the Middle East, has recently opened their first store in Iraq. More stores in Dubai and Saudi Arabia are currently under construction. BurgerFuel will open in Egypt later this year.

BurgerFuel posted its Half Year Results earlier this year - reporting unaudited profits of $224,554 for the six months to 30 September 2011.

BurgerFuel Worldwide (BFW) is a Grand Finalist in the 2012 NZ International Business Awards. The company has been profiled in two specialist Ministry of Science and Innovation categories for Best Commercialisation of Intellectual Property and Most Innovative Business Model in International Business. For more info on the awards please visit http://www.nzte.govt.nz/awards