Private equity firm Gateway Partners purchased a stake in the Tim Hortons Gulf franchise from the Apparel Group, which owns and manages the coffee chain in the region.
Apparel Group's chairman Nilesh Ved confirmed Gateway's investment, following a report by Reuters, but declined to reveal the value or size of the deal when contacted by The National on Saturday.
The company will use the proceeds from the transaction to grow the business, Mr Ved said in an emailed statement, without elaborating on the details.
Gateway Partners, which is led by former Standard Chartered banker Viswanathan Shankar, reportedly paid about $50 million (Dh183m) for a 40 per cent stake, Reuters reported last week citing sources.
The private equity firm made the investment in the franchise through its Gateway Fund I in February 2020, according to its website, in which it describes the franchise as "the leading Tim Hortons franchise outside of North America with 141 stores" by the end of 2019 across the Middle East.
Gateway's investment will help Apparel Group expand the coffee chain in Egypt and India as well as in the Gulf markets, Mr Ved told Reuters.
The Apparel Group has more than 1750 stores and 75 brands across all platforms employing 17,000 people, according to its website. It operates fashion and lifestyle brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Charles & Keith, Juicy Couture, Skechers, Nautica, Aldo, Nine West, Aeropostale, Tim Hortons, Cold Stone Creamery, Inglot and Rituals.
The conglomerate has a presence in markets including UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia and has "clear strategies" in place to enter emerging markets such as Hungary, Pakistan, Egypt and Philippines, according to its website.
The Covid-19 outbreak has resulted in cafes and restaurants in Gulf countries shutting down for dine-in, as part of efforts to contain the virus, but many still operate delivery services.
Mr Ved told Reuters that six or seven Tim Hortons outlets remain open for deliveries to customers in Dubai and 15 are doing business in Saudi Arabia, through the use of third party delivery apps.
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
First round
Roger Federer (SUI x2) bt Philipp Kohlschreiber (GER) 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
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Marton Fucsovics (HUN) bt Damir Dzumhur (BIH) 6-1, 7-6 (7/5)
Nikoloz Basilashvili (GEO) bt Karen Khachanov (RUS x4) 6-4, 6-1
Jan-Lennard Struff (GER) bt Milos Raonic (CAN x7) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
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Sector: Technology and home services
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Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
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