Hospitality provider Tashas Group has signed a US$27 million joint venture deal with Arada to further expand its footprint into suburban markets in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The first Tashas Group café first opened in 2005 in Atholl, Johannesburg, and the brand has since grown to operate 40 locations in five countries – 18 in South Africa, 17 in the UAE, three in Saudi Arabia, one in the United Kingdom, and one in Bahrain.
Arada is a property development company based in Dubai, with additional operations in Australia.
The partnership will see 10 new restaurants open across the Gulf in the next two years, including the debut of Tashas’ Café Sofi concept in Sharjah, Al Ain, Ras Al Khaimah, and Nad Al Sheba.
The first Café Sofi, named after Founder and CEO Natasha Sideris’ mother, Sophia, will open in South Africa in late 2025, with the first of the venues in the UAE set to launch in 2026.
Sideris says these secondary residential markets loom as a potential high-growth market in the Middle East.
“In Dubai and Abu Dhabi, we are strategically located in residential areas away from the high-end restaurant clusters. Our Abu Dhabi location is the Group’s top performer, consistently drawing strong footfall throughout the day,” she tells Arabian Business.
“We believe these new markets are well-positioned to embrace our brands that are exclusive but don’t exclude.”
