Food
The Avocado Show goes international: the vegetarian restaurant chain will open nineteen franchised outlets in France, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom. The avocado bar is also looking in Ghent and Antwerp.
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Le Pain Quotidien's American locations have a new owner: Aurify Brands, manager of fast food restaurants, will become master franchiser and will therefore manage the formula separately from the Belgian group.
General
Dutch retailer Hema plans to cross the Atlantic and conquer America: this year its first ten stores in Mexico are planned to open. There is even potential for 200 shops in Mexico, the Amsterdam-based company believes.
Furniture
Their first Belgian store has only just opened, but already French home decoration discounter Centrakor aims for a nationwide expansion. CEO Olivier Rondolotto is already entirely convinced: a dozen stores in the French speaking part of Belgium is only the precursor to a conquest of Flanders.
The Belgian branch of Cash Converters has been bought by a number of shareholders. The new owners also take over thirteen franchise stores.
The British franchisee of Domino's pizza has plans to sell its activities in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. However, there may be hope for the approximately one hundred shops in those four countries.
Hema had a bumpy ride last year: comparable turnover dropped and losses increased due to the change in ownership. The department store chain is therefore making some bold choices: it's selling its bakeries and developing wholesale activities for the first time.
Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is homing in on e-commerce: the chain partners with its online sibling Bol.com and makes it possible for affiliated entrepreneurs to offer their own webshop.
Fashion
Pullin, a French sports and outdoors fashion brand, has opened its first European store outside of France in the Dutch city of Sittard. The brand is mostly known for its trendy underwear with tongue-in-cheek designs.
Coffee chain Starbucks is restructuring its European activities. The Amsterdam office closes, resulting in 190 dismissals, and Mexican franchise group Alsea will take over all stores in Belgium, France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands.
The Dutch Hema chain has ended the franchising agreement for 24 stores after a long lasting dispute about how much franchisers have to pay for online sales.
French retail group Casino means business with its Franprix brand in Brussels, because it is planning for a second location, with several franchisees who have presented themselves.
Danish jewelry formula Amazing Jewelry will now also enter the Dutch market, after it had already entered the Belgian market last year. The “Zara of the jewelry industry” recently signed a master franchise deal and the first store will open in Utrecht.
French department store chain Galeries Lafayette will sell 22 locations to real estate group Financière Immobilière Bordelaise, which will in turn manage these as a franchise store. Nothing will change for the employees.
Polish AmRest Holdings acquired Pizza Hut’s French pick-up points and delivery services from Belgian group Top Brands for an undisclosed fee.
The very first Dutch Quetzal Chocoladebar will open its doors on 1 September in Amersfoort. The store formula offers artisan chocolate milk, chocolate and brownies, created in a sustainable fashion. The Belgian franchise chain intends to open 3 to 5 Dutch stores this year alone.
