New franchises are opening all over the world. Here are just a few of the recent brands which have established new presence at home or overseas
CHERRY BLOW DRY BAR: BLOW DRYING THE WEST COAST
Hair and beauty franchise Cherry Blow Dry Bar has signed a 50-store development deal to locate salons in California and Nevada over the next several years. Targeted areas for development include Cerritos, Sherman Oaks, Melrose, Downey, Woodland Hills, Encino, Calabasas and West Hollywood; and in Nevada, a strong emphasis on the Las Vegas metro area.
SLIM CHICKENS: PICKING WALES
Popular US brand, Slim Chickens, has chosen Cardiff for its second restaurant opening in the UK, following a successful launch of its flagship London restaurant. Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG), who partnered with Slim Chickens USA earlier this year, has signed a lease for a restaurant in St David’s shopping centre, Cardiff. Scheduled to open before Christmas, the 2,400 sq ft Slim Chickens will offer seating for 92 diners and will create 40 new jobs in the area.
XPRESSO DELIGHTS: IN MULTI-UNIT CAPITAL DEAL
Australian coffee service concept Xpresso Delight, already operating more than 200 franchises has announced the signing of a multi-unit Franchise agreement in the District of Columbia. The company’s new D.C. franchisees are husband and wife team Ram and Shirisha Dasari. Two new units will open the development, with eight more to open before the year end.
WOK TO WALK: UK GOBBLES UP
International wok kitchen concept Wok to Walk has been developing sites in the UK cities Reading, Liverpool, Leeds and Manchester and expects to have 13 restaurants operating in the country by the end of the year. This follows the signing of agreements with companies including Starboard Dining and Gerry Offshore.
SLAPFISH: STARS IN ORLANDO
Fast-casual seafood restaurant chain Slapfish has announced new expansions. Beginning with the establishment of a location in Orlando, FLA. The brand has signed a multi-unit agreement with father and son team Brandon and Charles Bengel, and Les Hatter. Slapfish currently has more than 150 Slapfish locations in development nationwide.
FASTSIGNS: SIGNS SPAIN
Sign, graphics and visual communications franchise FASTSIGNS International, Inc has signed a Master Franchise Agreement to expand to mainland Spain, the Balearic Islands, and Gibraltar. Chris Kirby, an existing FASTSIGNS franchisee, will develop a minimum of 10 locations, specifically targeting initial development in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia, and Malaga.
ZIGGI’S: STARDUST
Ziggi’s Coffee Franchise LLC has signed with new franchisees in Loveland. The Longmont coffee company has signed 24 franchise agreements in the last two years. The latest signing grants the rights to three locations. The franchisees are Jill and Greg Bland, who are looking to be multi-unit operators as Ziggi’s expands its Northern Colorado presence. Jill will run business operations, while Greg assists with growing the business at additional locations.
KELLER WILLIAMS: PLACE IN THE SUN FOR KELLER WILLIAMS
Real estate franchise Keller Williams has awarded a license for a new master franchise in Trinidad and Tobago, the dual-island Caribbean nation off the coast of Venezuela. The new Keller Williams master franchise in Trinidad and Tobago is currently initializing operations and is expecting to launch its first office before the end of 2018.
NO SIGNBOARD: FOR SINGAPORE
Usually known for its seafood restaurants, F&B operator No Signboard Holdings has signed an exclusive master franchise deal to sell Korean-style fried chicken in Singapore and Malaysia.The agreement with Haimarrow Food Service Co and HFS Global will allow No Signboard to open locations under the South Korea-based Mom’s Touch Chicken and Burger brand. The operator intends to open the first outlet in Malaysia in 2019.
FAJITA PETE’S: WRAPS UP TEXAS
Houston-based Fajita Pete’s has signed franchise agreements to open 10 new restaurants across Texas. These comprise of one four-location and one three location development agreement and three single-location agreements. Noble Restaurant Group, which operates an outlet in Pearland, is developing four additional locations.
MELT SHOP : SERVES UP IN DELAWARE AND NEW JERSEY
Melted Sandwich pioneer Melt Shop has announced the opening of two new outlets in the Northeast, one is in Newark, Delaware and the other in New Jersey at Rockaway Townsquare.
BEERHEAD BAR & EATERY : BREWS PROFIT IN IN OHIO
Craft beer bar franchise, Beerhead Bar & Eatery is to open three new locations in Ohio. The bars, which will be located in Avon, Concord Township and Columbus and should be ready for business in 2019 are owned by Aaron Rasmussen, Jim Maclellan and Eric Engelke of Three 30 Ventures LLC.
CHEM-DRY: INDIAN MASTER FOR CHEM-DRY
Chem-Dry carpet and floor cleaning has signed a Master Franchise agreement for Pan India with entrepreneur Arunabh Sinha. Sinha is the founder of UClean, India’s first organized chain of laundromats and dry-cleaning centers, and of Mint Clean, an on-demand cleaning services company serving residential and commercial customers. Ireland, with plans announced for stores in Ulster University and Donegall Square in Belfast.
