ZIMBABWE: Mugg & Bean, Ocean Basket Owner Acquires More Franchises

Businessman Shingi Munyeza has clinched three more international restaurant franchises as he seeks to extend his dominance in the fast-food sector.

The former African Sun Limited chief executive, who already owns Mugg & Bean, Ocean Basket and News Café franchises in Zimbabwe, told businessdaily yesterday that he will soon be opening three new restaurants — Simply Asian, Moyo’s and Iligo.

“We are currently working on Victoria Falls and Harare, but since I am now full time in this business we expect to go to other cities as well. However, everything is going to be clear by the end of May,” he said.

Simply Asian is an international restaurant that serves Thai meals made up of rice, vegetables and river fish, while Moyo’s offers Africa’s finest urban cuisines, with diverse dining options ranging from relaxed lunch meals to romantic dinners.

Iligo, on the other hand, is a coffee shop.

Munyeza said the move to open more franchises was spurred by the success of Mugg & Bean, News Café, Smooch and Ocean Basket, which operates under Vinale Investments.

“The current operational businesses have performed well ahead of our expectations and we expect the new addition to surpass the current performance.

“The reason I ventured into this particular line of business is because it is mainly influenced by local consumers. In the hotel business people suffer from Ebola in Sierra Leone and your business takes a knock, the risks here are more perceived,” he said.

Munyeza, who stepped down as African Sun chief executive last month after 13 years at the helm, said the country’s tourism sector was going to be a key economic driver, adding that he had plans of investing in more resort towns, apart from the Victoria Falls.

“We are also introducing the mobile smooch which you will see at various functions especially school sports days and others,” he said.