Consumer, Food and Hospitality

Consumer brands enter these markets through a partner, and the partner agreement quietly determines the ceiling on the business for the next decade.

Food and beverage · Hospitality · Luxury

The franchise or partner agreement is the strategy

Territory definition, performance obligations, renewal rights, supply arrangements and termination terms decide how much of the upside you keep and whether you can ever change course. Brands routinely sign regional master agreements covering markets they have not analysed, in exchange for an opening fee that looks attractive against a ten-year cost that does not.

We negotiate these agreements from the operating plan backwards, with explicit development schedules and enforceable quality provisions.

Local demand is not a smaller version of home demand

Format, price architecture, portion, timing, alcohol policy, delivery mix and the weight of family occasions differ sharply across the Gulf, the Levant and African markets, and between cities within them. We test the proposition against local behaviour before the fit-out, because the format is the most expensive thing to change afterwards.

Supply chain and specification control

Maintaining specification across borders under import restrictions, cold chain limits and halal or other certification requirements is the operational core of consumer expansion. Where local substitution is unavoidable we help define what may be substituted and what may not, in writing, before a partner decides for you.

Real estate and footfall

Site selection in these markets is dominated by a small number of landlords and developers whose leasing terms and tenant mix decisions shape trading performance more than any marketing decision. Negotiating position is strongest before the brand is committed publicly to an opening date.

Signals this is the right work

A master franchise covering several countries is on the table and one of them drives all the value. Your partner is meeting revenue targets and diluting the brand. Openings keep slipping because of fit-out approvals. Delivery aggregators now set your margin and you have no leverage.

What you get

Franchise and partner agreements negotiated from the operating plan backwards
Territory, development schedule and quality provisions made enforceable
Local demand testing before fit-out commitments
Specification control rules setting out permitted and prohibited substitution
Site and lease negotiation support ahead of any public opening commitment

Common questions

Should we grant a regional master franchise?

Often not, at least not in one agreement. Where a single market drives most of the value, granting it inside a regional package usually transfers that value to the partner for an opening fee that does not reflect it.

Can you help fix an existing partner relationship?

Yes. Most underperforming partnerships are governed by agreements that were never operationalised, and a restructure with real development schedules and quality provisions is usually available short of termination.

Do you cover halal and other certification requirements?

Yes, as part of specification control. These requirements shape sourcing decisions and need to be settled before supply chains are committed.

Discuss a mandate

If this describes the problem you are holding, a short conversation will establish quickly whether we are the right people for it.

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