Belhasa Group and 800PIZZA Join Hands
Online, April 18, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Belhasa Hospitality LLC, operating under the umbrella of the Belhasa Group, has acquired a majority stake in Dubai's up and coming Italian Restaurant, 800PIZZA, well known for its use of quality ingredients imported directly from Italy.
The acquisition also provides an indication of Belhasa's increasing presence in the hospitality sector and a return of focus to life styling in quality leisure retail chains - a sector expected to grow strongly in Dubai.
The Belhasa Group was founded by Dr.Ahmed Saif Belhasa in the 1960s as a construction, trading and automotive group. Belhasa has expanded rapidly with the growth of Dubai and has extended its presence into many additional fields, such as the Emirates Driving Institute, Travel Services, high class interior decoration, and real estate.
Branded Leisure Retail and Recreation concepts are the latest areas of interest that the group has begun to develop.
800PIZZA was founded by the Italian food-enthusiast Alessandro D'Ubaldo in 2006 and has grown rapidly thanks to a discerning and loyal customer base who appreciate the difference that 800Pizza has made in the Leisure Retail scene in Dubai.
The Belhasa Group has been a leading torchbearer of trade and commerce in the Middle East for almost half a century and with the recent acquisition 800PIZZA will have the financial support and management backing of the Belhasa group to tap the opportunity for accelerated growth in the Middle East, giving the discerning food and hospitality seekers of the region something more to cheer about.
Alessandro is upbeat about the acquisition for the same reason. "The time is ripe for the partnership, we have had many requests in the past from potential partners but this time I strongly believe we have finally found the right partner to move forward with" says Alessandro, who is also the brains, heart and soul behind this unique Italian leisure retail concept. "The market is demanding more 800PIZZA outlets and with our new partners we are looking forward to satisfy this demand" says Alessandro.
800PIZZA serves fresh and best quality Italian original recipes including Soups, Appetizers, Pasta, Pizza, Salads, Desserts and beverages. "We import most of our ingredients from back home to ensure that we only serve authentic and healthy Italian food, because in a traditional and authentic Italian pizza like the Margherita con Bufala in our menu for example, health and nutrition are within the fresh and natural ingredients it is made of" says Alessandro
Alessandro adds, "the tomato sauce we use comes from Italian plum tomatoes of certified PDO S. Marzano quality, the Organic flour we use is made in Italy exclusively for 800PIZZA, the PDO Organic buffalo mozzarella we use is flown in fresh from Caserta every week, the PDO Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil we use is cold pressed from olives harvested by hand in the olive groves that grow between Assisi and Spoleto, in the heart of the region of Umbria. Our pizzas are baked in a custom built wood burning stone oven which provides the pizza with a smokey aroma that cannot be achieved with other types of cooking..."
Furthermore, the specialty ingredients used at 800Pizza have now been made available for retail sales to the benefit of our consumers who have been asking us for some time if they could buy these for home cooking. Now they can!
The restaurants have been reviewed extensively in the Arab press for its suave Italian taste and styling. "We have a brand ready to go for the next leap forward" Alessandro adds while narrating his plans about the expansion ahead. 800PIZZA is planning to launch two more outlets by this summer in addition to the present Barsha and Dubai Marina outlets.