Aegis Hospitality, the Dubai-based company behind the successful Akiba Dori restaurant in d3, is set to branch out into the frozen pizza market as part of the Spinney’s incubator programme.
The company is opening a central kitchen in the renowned cultural district of Alserkal Avenue in the industrial zone of Al Quoz in Dubai, where they will be making frozen pizzas to be sold on the supermarket shelves of Spinneys across the emirate.
Samer Hamadeh, founder of Aegis Hospitality, told Arabian Business: “We’ve developed what I genuinely think, and very logically think, is one of the best frozen pizzas ever, not just by Dubai standards, I mean by any standards – by US standards, by UK standards, by Italy standards.
“It’s an incredible product and we’re very happy to be rolling it out in Spinneys and Waitrose in a couple of months.”
Launched in May last year, over 160 local businesses initially participated in the Spinneys incubator programme, which was recognised by the UAE Government’s Food and Water Security Office for its contribution to the country’s National Food Security Strategy.
Aegis Hospitality was one of 24 winners who received support with production and distribution through monthly coaching sessions with senior management as well as marketing resources.
Hamadeh said: “It’s amazing what Spinneys have done with that, the kind of people they’ve brought on board. It’s just really reassuring and it’s very positive for people who don’t know where to start but want to start.”
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Alserkal Avenue is spread across 500,000 sq ft in the Al Quoz industrial area of Dubai
Alserkal Avenue is home to a community of over 70 contemporary art galleries, visual and performing arts organisations, designers, home-grown and entrepreneur-led businesses, and community spaces across 500,000 sq ft and 90 warehouses.
Hamadeh said the area is one of his “most favourite venues ever, not just in Dubai, but ever”.
He added that they would also be selling pizza direct from the central kitchen. “Because at Alserkal there’s always events, a lot of people have offices there, you have random little pop-ups that happen, so we will have a little corner where we will sell retail – you can swing by in your car, order a slice of pizza and get out of there.”
The opening forms part of ambitious growth plans for Aegis Hospitality to open at least a further three of its trendy restaurant/bar concept Akiba Dori in the UAE as well as the imminent opening of the first international venue in Saudi Arabia.
Hamadeh told Arabian Business that the growth plans are being funded to the tune of “a couple of million dollars”.
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