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Villa
Enterprises and General Growth Properties Ink Deal
to
Open 40 Mall-Based Villa Italian Kitchen Units
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Morristown,
NJ – April 2014 / Newsmaker Alert / Villa
Enterprises, a global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor,
announces that it has signed a deal with Chicago-based General
Growth Properties, Inc. to open 40 Villa Italian Kitchen quick-serve
restaurants in regional malls throughout the U.S.
“We’ve
been aggressively expanding the footprint of our Villa Italian Kitchen
brand over the past several years, and this new partnership is the ideal
opportunity for us to continue introducing our brand in new markets,” says
Villa Enterprises’ CEO, Anthony Scotto. “As a privately held company, we’re
positioned to swiftly respond to opportunities such as this and are able
to tap our vendor network to open multiple units quickly.”
Starting
with its first pizzeria in New York City 50 years ago, the company’s Villa
Italian Kitchen flagship brand now has more than 250 locations worldwide.
As part of a rebranding in 2012, Villa Italian Kitchen introduced a new
prototype that pays homage to its Italian heritage and original recipes.
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“Villa
Italian Kitchen and GGP have a long-standing and valued relationship. Their
unique Scotto family recipes have been enjoyed by customers for many years.
Villa Italian Kitchen joins a growing list of restaurants and retailers
expanding their concepts and doing so in high-quality malls. This deal
covers nearly a third of our portfolio and allows us to introduce Villa
to a broader customer base, which I am sure the customers will enjoy,”
says Alan Barocas, senior executive vice president of leasing for General
Growth Properties, Inc.
Over
the past several years, Villa Enterprises has focused on multi-unit opportunities,
expansion of management services, the creation of new restaurant concepts
in response to market demand and international growth with a focus on the
Middle East and South America. Today, the company’s portfolio has grown
to include ten quick-serve brands with more than 330 locations worldwide.
The
company is successfully managing and outfitting entire food courts within
malls, outlet centers, casinos and airports throughout the U.S. including
Sands Casino and Resort in Bethlehem, PA, and Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe,
AZ, among others.
“We
offer our partners a wealth of expertise, resources and consumer insights
as we consider expansion opportunities nationwide,” explains Villa Enterprises’
Senior Vice President of Business Development, Adam Torine.
To
learn more about Villa Enterprises, visit www.villaenterprises.com.
About
Villa Enterprises
Villa
Enterprises is a global multi-brand restaurant operator and franchisor.
Founded in 1964 by Michele Scotto, a Naples, Italy native, Villa Enterprises
began as a small pizzeria next to the Ed Sullivan Theater in New York City.
Today, Villa Enterprises is an international organization celebrating its
50th anniversary with more than 330 quick-serve restaurants in malls, airports,
casinos and other high-traffic locations. Villa’s QSR brands, including
Villa Italian Kitchen, Green Leaf’s, Bananas, South Philly Steaks &
Fries and Far East, can be found across 38 U.S. states and nine additional
countries. Villa also operates 11 full-service restaurants in suburban
New Jersey under the 40North brand including The Black Horse Tavern &
Pub, The Office and George & Martha’s. For more information, please
visit www.villaenterprises.com.
About
General Growth Properties, Inc.
General
Growth Properties, Inc. (GGP) is an S&P 500 company focused exclusively
on owning, managing, leasing and redeveloping high-quality retail properties
throughout the United States. GGP (www.ggp.com)
is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, and publicly traded on the NYSE
under the symbol GGP.
Contact:
Stefanie
Rumpf
Oxford
Communications
for
Villa Enterprises
609-397-4242
ext. 179 |