South African seafood chain to open 10 KSA outlets

Ocean Basket at Mirdif City Centre [Photo: Ocean Basket Facebook]

South African seafood restaurant Ocean Basket has signed a license agreement to open 10 outlets in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The deal has been signed with the Arabian Entertainment Company Ltd (AECL), Tarfeeh, which is the largest franchisee of Applebee's in the Middle East. It is is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Saudi Economic Development Company (SEDCO).

The firm is currently the biggest company in Saudi Arabia’s casual dining franchisee segment and, including Applebee's, has established more than 15 casual dining outlets across the kingdom.

The first Ocean Basket in Saudi Arabia is set to open early 2015 in Jeddah, with further outlets slated over the next seven years in locations such as Jeddah, Riyadh and Medina.

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This international move is in line with Ocean Basket’s plans to expand globally over the next three years.

Earlier this year Ocean Basket company leader Grace Harding said: "The aim is to grow Ocean Basket’s scale and global presence towards our goal of being the most loved family seafood restaurant in the world."

Ocean Basket was the first South African company to open a store in the Dubai International Airport, and followed it up with a second outlet in Mirdif City Centre in Dubai.