Caprinos Pizza has signed a franchise development agreement to open at least 30 stores across Riyadh Province in Saudi Arabia over the next five years. The agreement is the UK-founded pizza brand’s first move into the Middle East, and the stores will be developed by a consortium of local partners that includes one of Caprinos’ existing UK franchisees.
The development agreement sets a floor of 30 stores in Riyadh Province within five years. Rather than a single operator, the rollout sits with a consortium of local partners. One member already runs a portfolio of Caprinos stores in the United Kingdom, which gives the Saudi group first-hand experience of the brand’s operating model before the first site opens.
Caprinos was founded in 2014 and now operates more than 120 stores in the UK, with further locations in Ireland and Pakistan. The business has opened more than 30 stores in the past two years and says openings are continuing in its existing markets, including recent sites in Greenwich, Welling, Shotton, Norwich and Hinckley.
Riyadh is not the only overseas deal in motion. Caprinos is planning to enter Spain through master franchisee Farhat Faheem, who is targeting 50 locations, and the brand says its first Spanish openings are imminent. It is also in discussions with prospective franchisees about development agreements in other Saudi Arabian provinces. The stated group target is a global estate of 200 locations by 2030.
Saudi Arabia represents a significant opportunity for Caprinos.
That is how the brand’s co-founders framed the deal, pointing to Riyadh’s growing population and the influx of businesses and tourists into the province.
Two patterns stand out. First, the consortium route: pairing local capital with an operator who already knows the brand is a way for a mid-sized franchisor to enter a market without a long learning curve, and it mirrors how many Gulf rollouts are now structured (see master franchise agreements in Saudi Arabia and master franchise versus area development versus joint venture). Second, the province-by-province approach: by talking to further partners for other Saudi provinces, Caprinos is keeping territories divisible, which matters to investors weighing how much geography to commit to.
For operators screening international brands, the useful questions are the ones covered in how franchisors choose a master franchisee: operating track record of the brand at home, the depth of the partner group, and the pace at which new markets are opened. Saudi Arabia keeps drawing western concepts, as shown by Chipotle opening in Riyadh and STRONG Pilates signing a Saudi master franchise, and the broader market framework is set out in our Saudi Arabia franchise guide.
Source: Hospitality & Catering News — Caprinos Signs 30-Store Franchise Agreement for Riyadh
