Within 21 years, Debonairs Pizza has expanded from a small space at the back of a supermarket to opening its 400th store.
It was a quirky idea, but it was an attitude that worked: dress some hungry varsity students in tux shirts and bow ties, and get them to deliver pizza at no cost to the consumer. What started as a R6 000 investment by Craig MacKenzie and Andrew Harvey at the back of the Park Lane Spar Bakery in Pietermaritzburg in 1991 – delivering eight pizzas on its first night – has, 21 years later, developed into a multimillion rand business.
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In line with the group’s strategic intent to extend its presence in the casual dining sector, Famous Brands has entered into a joint venture agreement with the founder-owners of Turn ‘n Tender, the family steakhouse restaurant group. Started in 1977 by the four Aaron brothers: Mervyn, Steven, Howard and Brian; it was relaunched in 2007 by Brian and property developer and businessman Farrel Osher. In terms of this transaction, Famous Brands will acquire a 51 per cent stake in the trademarks and existing franchise agreements in the business, which currently comprises the four successful steakhouse restaurants and a butchery situated in Gauteng. Two of the original founders, Brian and Mervyn Aaron, will be retained to assist the group in achieving Turn ‘n Tender’s full potential in a rapidly growing market segment.
Multiple Fish & Chip Co storeowner, Francois Beetge, was announced the winner of the Fish & Chip Co ‘Win a franchise’ competition. This will be his third franchise. After signing a franchise agreement, Beetge will be assisted with site selection, provided a fully constructed and workable franchise outlet complete with relevant shop specification, as well as R15 000 worth of initial marketing.
It is a catch-22 situation: in the current tough economic climate, small business owners – particularly in the restaurant business – are under increasing financial pressure and their need for working capital is growing. At the same time, the credit crunch and the associated bank liquidity requirements mean that banks have become more conservative in their lending policies, with the reduction of overdraft limits and an increase in the loan decline rate.
As part of a growing economic centre, South African companies represent a big chunk of pallet users. Experts estimate that the country’s pallet manufacturers produce 30-45 million pallets annually to cope with the growing demand. As expected, this is putting increasing pressure on them to reduce their carbon footprint.
