GhanaStar
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music
No Result
View All Result
GhanaStar
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music
No Result
View All Result
GhanaStar
No Result
View All Result
Home Headlines

Foreign Food Chains Brave Risks For A Bite of Iran

July 18, 2017
in Headlines
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

For years, Iranians have had to put up with the likes of “Mash Donalds” and “Pizza Hat”. Now real Western food franchises have finally arrived, but doing business in Iran is not for the faint-hearted.

You Might Also Like

Ghanaian Can Travel to South Africa Visa-Free

2019 – the Biggest Year yet for Ghanaian Tourism

Three Britons On Trial In Singapore Accused of Gang-Raping Drunk Woman

Despite strict international sanctions being eased under a nuclear deal with world powers last year, the Iranian economy remains bogged down by red tape and struggles to attract foreign investors.

But a couple of European food franchises have decided the risks are worth taking for a taste of the estimated $7 billion (six billion euros) Iranians spend in restaurants each year, and which local consultancy ILIA says will double in the next decade.

Spain’s Telepizza opened its first outlet this month through an Iranian consortium that plans to pump 100 million euros into expanding nationwide.

But one of the first Europeans to really get his hands dirty on the ground is 41-year-old French entrepreneur Amaury de la Serre, who bought the rights to launch Sushi Shop in Iran after falling in love with the country during a visit in 2013.

The first branch of the high-end French chain opened last week in a chic north Tehran neighbourhood, marking the culmination of a bruising 18 months of work.

“There’s a strong government will to bring foreign capital and know-how here, but at the day-to-day administrative level, it’s hell,” de la Serre told AFP.

“Everything takes time, everything is complicated. It is very, very difficult to deal with customs.

“But no pain, no gain. And things are changing at full-speed here. I love this country and I’m very excited to be a spectator to its evolution.”

Getting the supply chains running was certainly complex — the restaurant uses 150 mostly local suppliers and must ship fresh fish from Norway three times a week.

It took a year just to get the licence to import Japanese sauces, and navigating Tehran’s notorious real estate rackets was a saga in itself.

The government says it is trying to streamline its bureaucracy, but Iran actually fell three places in this year’s ease of doing business rankings from the World Bank, down to 120 out of 190 countries.

Still, some of the biggest headaches are back in Europe, where banks are so afraid of US penalties that they freeze accounts at the merest whiff of a link to Iran.

“It’s crazy. We went to the French Ministry of Economy and they gave us a list of all the banks that would agree to work with Iran. But when we called them, every single one said no,” said de la Serre.

Eventually he found a small private bank willing to handle his transactions because they have no links to the US.

But while he remains bullish on Iran’s economic prospects, there are enough storm clouds on the horizon to keep him cautious.

“We wanted to launch several brands at once, but then Mr Trump arrived so we’re taking the foot off the pedal a little,” said de la Serre.

The US president has worried would-be investors in Iran with his aggressive stance against the country.

Just this week, he announced new sanctions over Iran’s ballistic missile programme and what it called Tehran’s support for terrorist groups in the Middle East.

Conservatives in Iran still rail against Western “cultural infiltration”, even if the time in 1994 when the first post-revolution McDonald’s was burned to the ground — two days after opening — seems a distant memory.

Today, Iran’s affluent middle class has largely rejected ideology and is hungry for foreign brands, while fast-food has spread like wildfire even in remote villages.

And even conservatives recognise the urgent need for jobs with unemployment at 12.5 percent, and far higher for young people.

“Expansion in the fast-food sector is a job creator precisely where Iran needs it most,” wrote Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of the Europe-Iran Forum, in a recent briefing note.

“After all, many of the world’s greatest entrepreneurs got their start delivering pizzas.”

Join GhanaStar.com to receive daily email alerts of breaking news in Ghana. GhanaStar.com is your source for all Ghana News. Get the latest Ghana news, breaking news, sports, politics, entertainment and more about Ghana, Africa and beyond.

Tags: Amaury de la SerreAsiabiggest headachesEconomy of IranentrepreneurEsfandyar Batmanghelidjeuropefoodfood franchisesForeign relations of IranFrench Ministry of EconomyGeography of AsiairanIranUnited States relationsIslamic Republic of Iranjob creatorMcDonald'sMiddle EastNorwaynotorious real estate racketspoliticsPolitics of Iranpresidentprivate bankQuick Service RestaurantsRestaurants & Bars - NECspainTehranTELEPIZZAtrumpUnited StatesUSWorld Bank

Related News

Ghanaian Can Travel to South Africa Visa-Free

by
July 10, 2019
0

Citizens of Ghana no longer need a visa to travel to South Africa. This is because the South African Government...

2019 – the Biggest Year yet for Ghanaian Tourism

by
January 24, 2019
0

2018 was a good year for tourism in Ghana with more than GH₵5.8 billion spent in the country's travel and...

Three Britons On Trial In Singapore Accused of Gang-Raping Drunk Woman

by
August 1, 2017
0

Three British men have gone on trial in Singapore today accused of gang-raping a 23-year-old woman while visiting the city-state...

Pakistani Taliban Launches Women’s Magazine

by
August 1, 2017
0

The Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday released the first edition of a magazine for women, apparently aiming to convince its target...

Next Post

Court Begins Ruling In Major Thai Human Trafficking Trial

ICC Judges To Rule On Release of Ivory Coast Ex-Leader Gbagbo

Categories

  • Africa & World
  • African Music Lyrics Directory
  • Business
  • Business Directory
  • celebrities
  • Computing
  • Diaspora
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Feature
  • Featured
  • Ghana Elections 2016
  • Headlines
  • Health
  • International
  • Internet
  • Jobs
  • lifestyle
  • Music
  • News
  • Offbeat
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Profiles
  • Religion
  • Security
  • Seth Terkper
  • Smart Home
  • Social Networks
  • Sports
  • Technology
  • Top Stories
  • World News

Tags

accra addo africa Association football Banks - NEC business Business_Finance chairman Donald Trump economy education Entertainment_Culture environment Geography of Africa ghana Ghanaian people government Government of Ghana Human Interest John Dramani Mahama john mahama Law_Crime mahama minister MPs elected in the Ghanaian parliamentary election Nana Addo Nana Addo Dankwa Nana Akufo-Addo National Democratic Congress National Democratic Congress (NDC) New Patriotic Party New Patriotic Party (NPP) nigeria politics Politics of Ghana president Social Issues Social Media Social Media & Networking sports United Kingdom United Nations United States Vice President War_Conflict

Recent Posts

  • Government of Ghana Unveils Official Portraits of President John Dramani Mahama and Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang
  • Who Is the Woman (Sheena Gakpe) in Sarkodie’s Latest Hit “No Sir” and Why Everyone Is Talking about It
List of Ghana Holidays for 2020
Ghana Geocoding
Ghana Cedis Exchange API
Ghana Maps Service
Toyota Cars Auto Auction History
  • African Music Lyrics Directory
  • Business Directory
  • Diaspora
  • Top Stories

All rights reserved © 2021 GhanaStar.com

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Music

All rights reserved © 2021 GhanaStar.com