UK master franchisee buys the worldwide rights to German Doner Kebab

One of the key benefits of franchising is the ability to quickly grow a business. But even with that in mind, the growth of German Doner Kebab (GDK), the restaurant franchise, on these shores is nothing short of exceptional. Not only has the company already” has around 200 franchise locations in Britain in the pipeline in scarcely more than a year, the UK master franchisee has also just bought the rights to the business’s worldwide operations.

And United Brands, the company that launched GDK in the UK last year, aims to make the most of the deal. To this end, GDK International is now actively seeking master franchisees to help grow the brand into new markets. Besides its British restaurants, the company already has 60 franchise stores in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan and Sweden. Now it hopes to serve up its succulent offering even further afield. Over the next decade, the kebab franchisor has a goal of having 700 franchise stores in the UK and Ireland and a further 1,500 stores worldwide.

Commenting on the deal, Imran Sayeed, CEO of GDK International, said: “We seriously believe in this brand. All of our UK stores are doing unbelievably well. So when the opportunity came up to buy the worldwide brand we had to take it.” While he’s aware of the increasing competition from other high-quality food restaurants opening on these shores like the hamburger chain The Counter and the Taiwanese food franchise Din Tai Fung, Sayeed believes his franchisees will have a clear advantage. “GDK brings in a new dimension to the kebab market by offering a quality fresh gourmet range [that] is also healthy, a kebab without the guilt,” he said.

And given the impressive growth of the company on these shores, it’s safe to say Sayeed has reason to be bullish.