Richoux chain in Middle East deal

Madisons Coffee, owner of the London-based Richoux restaurant chain, has signed its first franchise partnership with a company in the Middle East.

It has formed a deal with the Al Attiyah Group, a company established by the Qatari royal family, to market the Richoux restaurants in the Middle East.

Al Attiyah has paid Madisons Coffee an initial $175,000 (£120,611) to open two Richoux restaurants in Qatar. Madisons Coffee hopes to secure a second franchise deal in November, again for the same initial fee, that would see it open six restaurants in the United Arab Emirates.

The restaurants will be the first Richoux outside the UK.

Gareth Lloyd-Jones, chief executive of Madisons Coffee, said: "We believe Richoux has potential for further international development on a franchise basis and we have secured a strong partner for the Middle Eastern territory."

Madisons Coffee has four Richoux restaurants: in Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, Mayfair and St John's Wood. It bought them last year from Groupe Chez Gérard for £2.7m (Caterer, 10 August 2000, page 10).

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 6-12 September 2001