The growing fast-casual brand is looking to appoint an expert to support its ambitious plans.
German Doner Kebab (GDK) has been steadily expanding in recent years, having opened 35 new locations in the U.K. over the last four years, but with a development pipeline of over 350 franchise units, the brand is looking for a growth expert to support the next several years of expansion.
The new head of project management will bring experience of the leisure and retail sectors and will be responsible for the delivery of new restaurant fit-outs, liaising with contractors and consultants to meet brand standards and launch schedules.
The successful candidate will also be charged with building and maintaining close relationships with GDK’s multi-unit franchise partners as they build their respective restaurant portfolios.
“Our idea of bringing a nutritionally-balanced gourmet kebab has been a massive hit with U.K. consumers, and this has been reflected in the huge growth we have already achieved in the past two years,” said Imran Sayeed, CEO. “We have developed a strong growth pipeline with some of the U.K.’s most established franchise entrepreneurs and we are now working closely with them to identify new sites and respond to the growing consumer demand across the U.K.”
Boutique executive recruiting company Withey & Vedi is handling the search, bringing significant experience of senior appointments across their leisure, hospitality, and retail sectors.
“Our focus will be on bringing-in an industry specialist who has experience in a similar role with a multi-site restaurant leisure group, or retail operator,” said Vinit Vedi, MD of Withey & Vedi. “We now very much look forward to strengthening the German Doner Kebab team and exploring new opportunities to develop our partnership as the brand forges ahead with growth.”
As well as operating in the U.K., GDK has franchise locations in Sweden, Dubai, Abu-Dhabi, Oman, and Bahrain. The Ajlan and Brothers Group has also signed a master franchisee agreement in Saudi Arabia, with a development agreement of 100 stores over the next 10 years. Additional franchisees have been signed in North America, with agreements in place in Canada’s Ontario and British Columbia provinces, and negotiations underway in New York’s Manhattan and New Jersey.
