Retail Food Group (RFG)’s recently announced international expansion plans have been bolstered this week with the announcement of a new partnership with Franchise Arabia.

The partnership will increase the brand’s growth potential in India and the Middle East North African (MENA) region, which was highlighted as a key growth area earlier this month.

Nicholas Brill, divisional director international at RFG said the deal marked a successful step in the franchise group’s strategic growth plans.

“We at Retail Food Group are particularly excited by this partnership with Franchise Arabia because of their reputation across the MENA region,” Brill said.

“It enables us to increase the footprint of our brands in the Middle East North Africa region, one of our key target markets. We believe brands like Donut King, Crust Gourmet Pizza Bar and Michel’s Patisserie are ripe for expansion in this area.”

Franchise Arabia is the largest MENA-wide directory and marketing engine for franchise related services.

Omar Alhaza’a, founder & CEO of Franchise Arabia suggested continued growth in the region presented a strong opportunity for other franchise groups to target.

“The MENA region is experiencing growth across a range of related industries – franchising, restaurants, F&B and hospitality, so RFG is well positioned to leverage its global capabilities and work closely with Franchise Arabia to build a strong foundation for growth,” Alhaza’a said.

“We’re excited about this partnership with a world-class powerhouse such as RFG and are looking forward to introducing the RFG brands to investors and consumers across the region”.

The partnership comes following a series of other international partnership agreements for RFG were signed across Europe, the U.K. and Palestine.