UAE. Lagardère Travel Retail has struck an agreement to acquire a majority share and controlling interest in Dubai-based HWH Hospitality Investments’ food & beverage operations.
The move will see the two companies’ locations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) integrated into one business, called Lagardère-HWH Travel Retail, with the deal expected to be complete by the end of Q1 2022.
Lagardère Travel Retail will incorporate HWH’s portfolio of F&B operations at DXB (under the corporate name Creative Table Holdings) into its operations. These include 13 existing restaurants and a pipeline of other planned openings.
The network includes brands such as Fix, Roti Bai, Treehouse Juicery, Flour + Stone, Tranzeet and Grabb’it. Lagardère Travel Retail already operates the Daily DXB, a bespoke concept in T3 that showcases Dubai’s history alongside street food in more than 600sq m of space.
The move represents a step forward for Lagardère Travel Retail’s ambition to expand at DXB and consolidate its foodservice footprint in the Middle East. It noted that HWH founders Mustafa and Talha Al Hashimi and management teams would “continue to provide leadership and help drive the combined business at Dubai Airport”.
HWH Hospitality Investments was founded in 2012 by Mustafa and Talha Al Hashimi with a mantra to “disrupt the transient passenger dining experience”.
They arrived on the scene by opening a pizzeria designed like a Milan tram at DXB. The project not only announced HWH’s arrival on the airport scene but also defined its philosophy and image as an innovator and disruptor. Many other innovative concepts have since followed.
In 2019 HWH snapped up two global FAB Awards (organised by The Moodie Davitt Report) – its Flour + Stone concept was named Airport Food to Go of the Year, and S34 was awarded Airport Food & Beverage Offer Best Reflecting Sense of Place. This followed its 2018 award for the Airport Coffee, Tea or other Non-alcoholic Beverage Outlet of the Year for its Treehouse Juicery.
Vincent Romet, CEO Lagardère Travel Retail France and COO KSA and Middle East, said: “We are thrilled to be adding the network of beautifully designed HWH concepts and its various tasty food offerings to our Middle East portfolio.
“The founders have done an amazing job at creating an eclectic mix of restaurants and it is a privilege to be continuing working with them and build on their commitment to innovation and excellence to serve more travellers at Dubai Airport. This partnership is a testament to the vision and leadership of Dubai, and a significant step for us in consolidating our F&B expertise in the region and in developing the very fruitful partnership we have with Dubai Airport.”
Click here for more on the HWH portfolio and comments from the founders on the company’s philosophy in a 2019 interview.
Lagardère Travel Retail’s Foodservice business line operates in 23 countries globally, with over 1,000 outlets and sales of over €1 billion in 2019. The foodservice division was recognised with eight FAB Awards in 2019, and with four FAB Superstars Awards (also organised by The Moodie Davitt Report) in 2021.
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