Alushibe To Bring 12 International Food Brands To Libya

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 (Bernama) -- Libya’s Alushibe Holding Group announced its plan to bring 12 international food and beverage brands to the country by 2028 via its Retail & Destinations division, beginning with Turkish ice cream and patisserie chain MADO.

Alushibe has signed an exclusive master franchise agreement giving it the rights to develop and operate MADO in Libya, the brand’s 36th country, the company said in a statement.

The agreement was signed in Kahramanmaraş, Türkiye, on Oct 13 by Alushibe Founder and Chairman, Ahmed Gadalla, and MADO Chairman, Mehmet Sait Kanbur.

Alushibe will invest US$7 million in the first phase, opening seven cafés and creating 350 jobs, starting in Benghazi before expanding to Tripoli and other major cities. (US$1 = RM4.05)

“MADO earned its name over 176 years in Kahramanmaraş. Libyan teams will deliver it, because the measure of this programme is not only what Libyans can buy but also what Libyans can build,” said Ahmed Gadalla.

He said Türkiye is among Libya’s most important trading partners and that Libyan staff would be trained to MADO’s standards before each opening.

The first MADO outlet, a flagship of more than 1,000 square metres in Al-Hawari, Benghazi, will open in the first quarter of 2027. A second will open at District Mall, Alushibe’s 53,000-square-metre development in Benghazi, which it describes as Libya’s largest open-air mall, in 2028.

The 12 brands, covering coffee, bakery, casual dining and fast food, will operate across Alushibe’s retail platform of three shopping malls, three hotels and more than 215 stores in Libya.

Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Benghazi, with an office in Dubai, Alushibe operates across consumer goods, retail, industrials, healthcare, engineering and infrastructure, and services, with more than 6,000 employees.

-- BERNAMA