São Paulo – The CEO of Egyptian food franchise chain Momen Group, Mohammed Momen, will be in Brazil for carnival in order to get to know the country’s franchise sector and seek beef and poultry suppliers for his restaurants and for distribution.
The visit is part of Projeto Carnaval (Carnival Project), coordinated by the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) in partnership with several business organizations. The action is going to bring more than 150 businessmen and opinion-makers from 29 different countries to visit factories, stores and production hubs of various segments in the states of Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The objective is for them to close deals and become familiar with the Brazilian carnival.
In São Paulo, Momen will visit the food square at the Morumbi shopping centre. "The idea is to show him how the malls operate. The food square has a very strong appeal," explains Rogério Feijó, the Relations manager of the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF), who is in charge of coordinating the Egyptian businessman’s visit. In 2009, the association made a prospecting visit to the Arab country, which Momen accompanied.
Feijó also calls attention to the fact that Momen is interested in buying Brazilian meat and distribute it from Egypt. He claims that the country is establishing itself as a hub for the African and Middle Eastern markets. "He imports Brazilian products, therefore he may re-export them to countries in the region," said Feijó.
Among other restaurants, Momen owns Planet Africa, which was developed by the same company that created the structure for the Disney parks. According to Feijó, an agreement has already been signed for opening an unit in Dubai and, during his visit, the Egyptian is also going to look into the possibility of doing the same in Brazil.
In Rio de Janeiro, Momen is going to meet with the president of the ABF, Ricardo Bomeny, who is also the CEO of the BFFC holding company, in charge of the Bob’s, KFC, Pizza Hut chains (in São Paulo) and the Dog’s chain (Chile). Aside from visiting conventional units of those chains, Momen will visit the Bob’s store in the Sambadrome in Rio, where he will also watch the samba schools’ parades. According to the manager of the ABF, the goal is to showcase the flexibility of Brazilian franchises. "They are able of adapt to sporadic events. We are going to show how a seasonal operation works," he says.
Aside from this visit, Momen will be back in Brazil in June, when he will attend a franchising fair organized by the ABF.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
