{"id":432,"date":"2012-05-04T15:53:38","date_gmt":"2012-05-04T15:53:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.franchisemart.in\/franchise\/?p=432"},"modified":"2012-07-20T07:16:44","modified_gmt":"2012-07-20T07:16:44","slug":"rita-s-to-open-stores-in-india-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.franchisemart.in\/franchise\/rita-s-to-open-stores-in-india-china\/","title":{"rendered":"Rita’s to open stores in India, China"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rita'sRita’s Italian Ice, the water ice chain that began more than 20 years ago in Bensalem, announces that it would open 50 stores across India over the next several years.<\/p>\n

The company is also poised to open its first two stores in China this summer, CEO Jonathan Fornaci said.<\/p>\n

The international agreements are part of Rita’s plan to double its number of stores from 500 to 1,000 over the next several years.<\/p>\n

“Our focus is strategic growth, both internationally and domestically, in markets that we would be able to operate in 12 months a year,” said Fornaci, who joined Rita’s in December following the chain’s sale to New York-based investment firm Falconhead Capital.<\/p>\n

The company is seeking international franchise operators, as well as multi-unit operators in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Texas, and the Northeast. In its home territory in the mid-Atlantic region, the company is still seeking single-unit franchisees.<\/p>\n

Fornaci said Rita’s has added employees to its headquarters in Bensalem and is opening a regional office in Los Angeles to support the company’s growth.<\/p>\n

In India, the stores will be opened by South Asian Hospitality Services, a New Delhi company that also has franchise agreements with the U.S. sandwich brand Quiznos and Muffin Break, a chain of bakery cafes based in Australia.<\/p>\n

“We will leverage our strength to become the leading provider of high-quality treats in India, with a focus on achieving excellence and building the Rita’s brand,” Parvin Juneja, South Asian Hospitality Services chief executive, said in a statement. “We chose Rita’s as a respected and proven leader within the industry, and a well-suited partner.”<\/p>\n

Rita’s recently announced franchise agreements in the Caribbean and its first stores in California. Fornaci said it’s set to announce an agreement to open stores in five provinces in southeast China; the first stores there will open as early as July.<\/p>\n

“If you look at what has made Rita’s very successful, it’s a great product,” Fornaci said. “There is nothing like this. And I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve never tried a product like this.”<\/p>\n