MANAMA: The Bahrain-based Jawad Business Group (JBG) is set to add 50 new fashion, retail and restaurant outlets across the region taking the total number of JBG outlets to over 600, a senior official at the group said.
“We have about 572 existing outlets across the region with 6,000 employees. The group is keen to add 50 more outlets by the year’s end. The addition of 50 new outlets will take the total number to 612, making JBG a far larger retailer in the Middle East,” said Faisal Jawad, chairman and CEO of JBG.
Jawad, who welcomed founder and Chairman of Papa John’s Pizza John Schnatter at Jawad’s home, said the group has over 2,000 employees in Bahrain, 37 percent of whom are locals. “The budget projections at the end of January 2009 compared with 2008 are on target. However, the group will review the situation in the wake of the economic slowdown,” he said.
For a group like JBG, he said, it is a matter of two weeks to open a new outlet in any line of business within the group. “We will continue to observe the business trends including the assessment of the existing number of jobs. At this point of time JBG is not slashing down the number of jobs. However, the new recruitments have become under stringent process of screening. We don’t want additional jobs without a proper utility in any of our businesses,” he added. “Papa John’s is expanding its business across the Middle East and Asia every year as this year the chain will see an additional 175 restaurants in the Middle East and Asia region,” said Myles A. Felt, vice president of Papa John’s International.
