ISRAEL: Sbarro fastfood set up franchise in Netherlands

A group of Israeli entrepreneurs was granted the franchise to establish in Holland the Sbarro fast food restaurants. The Israeli group won the franchise in which three international companies, some of which have the Sbarro franchise in other countries, participated in the bid. Sbarro, specialising in Italian fast foods, operates over 1,200 restaurants worldwide. The report notes that the first Sbarro restaurant in the Netherlands will open soon in central Amsterdam at an investment of US$1.5m, to be followed by the opening of ten additional restaurants throughout Holland. There are 21 Sbarro restaurants now operating in Israel, registering an estimated annual turnover of NIS80m (US$16.6m).