Enoc Retail Systems Holding, the retail division of Dubai-owned Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc), aims to boost presence in the Middle East by franchising its key brands such as Zoom, Pronto, Saquella and Esspresse.

The Enoc retail unit boasts of signature Zoom convenience-stores, Pronto fresh food and gourmet coffee concept, Saquella Esspresso Club, an Italian Café concept founded in 1856 and Esspresse, its latest fresh and healthy Italian fast food offer.

Enoc Retail operates a network of 170 Enoc and Eppco service stations in Dubai and the Northern Emirates and has established its strong credentials as a retailing leader in the UAE.

With 25 years of experience in retail operations, Enoc/Eppco pioneered the convenience store retailing concept within the UAE through service stations before expanding its portfolio to include stand-alone restaurants and convenience stores associated with the Dubai Metro, said a senior official.

Currently, Enoc Retail meets the needs of over 600,000 satisfied customers a week.

Saeed Abdullah Khoory, Enoc’s group chief executive, said that expansion plans are part of a long term strategy to establish Zoom and Pronto as premier providers of retail experiences across the Middle East.

“Enoc Retail has proven its competencies in a short span of time. We want to share our expertise by franchising the successful retail concepts and reach out to a wider audience in the GCC,” he added.

Under the new franchising scheme, ERS will provide its franchisees with total support including training, a comprehensive franchise operations manual, supervisory support for the ongoing programme, and marketing expertise.

Zoom, developed by Enoc in 2009, was initially tested and rolled out as standalone outlets in the Dubai Metro Stations and is currently replacing the Aqua, StarMart and MiniMart convenient store brands that have been operating across the network of 170 Enoc and Eppco service stations in the UAE.

It currently operates six units across Dubai Metro stations and is set to increase to 43 by 2012.

Pronto, a fresh bakery and coffee shop concept established in 2008, operates 21 outlets within Enoc/Eppco service stations. It offers freshly baked products and brewed coffee and made-to-order sandwiches.

Saquella Café, first established in Italy in 1856, has a distinctive lineage and legacy and is renowned globally as one of the finest coffee brands. Enoc holds the master franchise for Saquella in the Middle East.

Esspresse, a partnership between Enoc and Stefano Brocca, of the highly-successful Stefano’s chain around the UAE, guarantees freshness and original Italian taste through imported ingredients from Italy, patented and exclusive equipment, and by using minimal oil to offer quality affordable Italian food.-TradeArabia News Service