Reem Al Bawadi restaurant chain acquisition to add Dh45m to Marka earnings



The purchase of the Reem Al Bawadi restaurant chain by Marka could add about Dh45 million in earnings to the Dubai-listed company.

The disclosure was contained in an interview with Khaled Almheiri, the vice chairman and managing director of Marka, that was posted on the Dubai Financial Market.

Marka took full ownership of the home-grown brand serving Middle Eastern cuisine for Dh315 million earlier this month. The 14-year-old Reem Al Bawadi owns and operates four outlets in Dubai. It also has three franchised outlets, in Dubai, Jeddah and Karachi.

The statement outlines the price paid for the operation at six to eight times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, suggesting the retailer earns about Dh45m per year. “Reem Al Bawadi operates four branches with a total number of 2,000 seats, besides franchises,” the statement said. “The average revenue per seat is more than Dh65,000 annually.” The statement also outlined the plans for expansion and the expected return on investment.

“Marka plans to open four additional branches within the next 18 months, two of which will be in Dubai and two others in Abu Dhabi, and is currently putting the final touches on the plan.

“We also expect to seal three additional franchise deals reached by the end of this year. We expect a 25 per cent annual earnings growth rate in the coming years.”

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SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

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The specs

Price, base / as tested Dh1,100,000 (est)

Engine 5.2-litre V10

Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch

Power 630bhp @ 8,000rpm

Torque 600Nm @ 6,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined 15.7L / 100km (est) 

Specs

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Power: 148bhp / 328bhp (S3)
Torque: 250Nm / 420Nm (S3)
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UAE fixtures:
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Director: Meshal Al Jaser

Starring: Adwa Bader, Yazeed Almajyul, Khalid Bin Shaddad

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MATCH INFO

Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')

Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90+4')

Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)

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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.

Based: Riyadh

Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany

Founded: September, 2020

Number of employees: 70

Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions

Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds  

Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech / PropTech
Initial investment: $650,000
Current number of staff: 35
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Various institutional investors and notable angel investors (500 MENA, Shurooq, Mada, Seedstar, Tricap)

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
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