Page 26 - April 2020

Sun, Soil & The Nando’s story began back in 1987 in the vibrant city of Johannesburg, South

Africa when Fernando Duarte took friend and colleague Robbie Brozin to an eatery
Spirit in Rosettenville. Here, RLI sits down with Trudi van Niekerk, CEO of International

Franchising to discuss how the brand is continuing to grow its presence on the
global restaurant scene.

“In terms of business growth
and development, the brand has NANDO’S RED SEA mALL
experienced another great year” Jeddah. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

lown away by the unique flavour of the flame-grilled “To be in a world-class location like The Dubai Mall is a big we believe that people who grow to love our food develop
PERi-PERi chicken, Duarte and Brozin knew it was a achievement for the brand globally and it is a testament to the a deep appreciation for the many layers within the brand.”
NANDO’S BOAT BASIN taste that had to be shared with the world, and so success of the business in the UAE specifically. The opening was At the heart of the brand’s success around the world is
Karachi, Pakistan
BNando’s was born and the rest, as they say, is history. closely followed by the opening of the Mall of the Emirates an incredible company culture that is driven by a core set of
Some 33 years later the business has grown into a global location – another key site for the brand,” says van Niekerk. values. These values are lived by all Nandocas and drive the
success story that operates 1,200 company-owned and The CEO for International Franchising went on to explain business forward in all of its markets, backed by a truly unique
franchise-run restaurants in 21 countries across the world. how the company is always looking for opportunities to product and experience she explains.
“In terms of business growth and development, the brand grow the brand, and at the moment there are exciting So what would Niekerk say is the ethos of the company?
has experienced another great year,” explains Trudi van Niekerk, developments in the Middle East region, whilst plans are also “We are driven by our five core values of pride, passion,
CEO of International Franchising at Nando’s. “We have invested in place for growth in most of its existing territories. courage, integrity and family. We seek to serve fans with pride
globally in opening new restaurants as well as refurbishing older “We are looking at new markets and locations all the time. and passion, communicate with courage and integrity, and treat
ones and realigning them to our latest Casa design ethos. This Our focus for the time being is to firmly establish current everyone we serve, work with or engage with as if they were
has ensured that we continue to excite our loyal customer base Nando’s markets before venturing into new territories.” family. The Nando’s brand has grown into a global success
whilst making Nando’s accessible to more people.” Having built a strong and instantly recognisable company, story by pursuing these five principals without compromise.”
The company has also continued to invest in its Nandocas producing new menu items and innovative ways for guests to Looking ahead, Niekerk believe that the story of the brand
(the name for all members of the Nando’s family) as it continue travelling to their nearest restaurant is pivotal when has just begun. “Our biggest challenge and opportunity as a
remains a key focus moving forward. Various creative looking forward. Niekerk argues that evolution is essential global business will be to stay true to our roots as we grow,
employee programmes have been installed to ensure people for any brand, but they remain careful not to move too far continuing to change people’s lives for the better.”
are able to maximise their personal potential and thereby away from what the company is famous for, which is delicious
make the restaurants great places to work. flame-grilled PERi-PERi chicken.
NANDO’S ThE DUBAI mALL A great example of this is the International Griller’s Any new concept or innovation is created to address an
Dubai, UAE
Challenge. Once top honours have been decided at the acute consumer need and it is rooted in the rest of the menu,
National Griller’s Challenge, the very best are then invited to where the company feels they can offer its guests something
compete at the International Griller’s Challenge along with new to try with their favourite chicken dish.
winners from other countries. The main event takes place The rise of social media has allowed the business to talk with
in a different host country every year and offers attendees rather than talk to its fans and offers the opportunity to show
the chance to get to know each other and learn about the the human side of the brand personality. Social media and the
culture and visit some of the sights of the host country. digital arms of Nando’s are critical channels as they reach out to
Recent restaurant openings include a flagship location that new people across different geographies, languages and cultures
launched in The Dubai Mall back in November. The company “For a youthful brand, this is a space where we can engage
is incredibly proud of this prime location as the restaurant sits with our fans in real-time, allowing us to target with more
just below the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa with an focus – making us more relevant and effective,” says Niekerk.
incredible view of the Dubai Fountains. “Nando’s is so much more than just a chicken restaurant, and
NANDO’S ThE ATRIUm
Bahrain
28 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2020