News

Wetzel's Pretzels planting flag in Middle East

Wetzel's Pretzels has partnered with the Fawaz Alhokair Group, one of the Middle East's largest retail, real estate and development companies, to bring Wetzel's Pretzels to the region.

March 4, 2016

Wetzel's Pretzels has partnered with the Fawaz Alhokair Group, one of the Middle East's largest retail, real estate and development companies, to bring Wetzel's Pretzels to the region, according to a company press release. The deal is for a minimum of 75 locations over a 10-year period, with the group's first Wetzel's location set to open in May.

Fawaz Alhokair Group started in 1989, as a partnership between three brothers and has since diversified from fashion retail business into other sectors. The diversification has further extended to cover non-retail business sectors such as real estate, construction, financial services, health care and hospitality.

"The Fawaz Alhokair Group has unmatched experience and resources across the retail, real estate and mall development categories," said Bill Phelps, co-founder and CEO of Wetzel's Pretzels. "We have no doubt their access and insights will play a significant role in the brand's success across the Middle East."

The group:

• Manages more than 80 brands, totaling 2,100 retail stores encompassing 5 million square feet of mall real estate
• Oversees more than 12,000 employees across 17 countries
• And has experience introducing quick service brands to the Middle East, including overseeing more than 100 Cinnabon, Carvel and Seattle's Best locations.

"We were impressed with Wetzel's Pretzel's ease of operational execution and various offerings," said Sultan Alhokair, group VP, Food & Entertainment, Fawaz Alhokair Group. "We've seen our guests crave simple-ingredient, fresh grab-and-go items, and Wetzel's products meet those demands. We're excited to begin introducing our guest to the products."