Rita’s Italian Ice, the water ice chain that began more than 20 years ago in Bensalem, announces that it would open 50 stores across India over the next several years.
The company is also poised to open its first two stores in China this summer, CEO Jonathan Fornaci said.
The international agreements are part of Rita’s plan to double its number of stores from 500 to 1,000 over the next several years.
“Our focus is strategic growth, both internationally and domestically, in markets that we would be able to operate in 12 months a year,” said Fornaci, who joined Rita’s in December following the chain’s sale to New York-based investment firm Falconhead Capital.
The company is seeking international franchise operators, as well as multi-unit operators in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, North and South Carolina, Texas, and the Northeast. In its home territory in the mid-Atlantic region, the company is still seeking single-unit franchisees.
Fornaci said Rita’s has added employees to its headquarters in Bensalem and is opening a regional office in Los Angeles to support the company’s growth.
In India, the stores will be opened by South Asian Hospitality Services, a New Delhi company that also has franchise agreements with the U.S. sandwich brand Quiznos and Muffin Break, a chain of bakery cafes based in Australia.
“We will leverage our strength to become the leading provider of high-quality treats in India, with a focus on achieving excellence and building the Rita’s brand,” Parvin Juneja, South Asian Hospitality Services chief executive, said in a statement. “We chose Rita’s as a respected and proven leader within the industry, and a well-suited partner.”
Rita’s recently announced franchise agreements in the Caribbean and its first stores in California. Fornaci said it’s set to announce an agreement to open stores in five provinces in southeast China; the first stores there will open as early as July.
“If you look at what has made Rita’s very successful, it’s a great product,” Fornaci said. “There is nothing like this. And I’ve lived all over the world. I’ve never tried a product like this.”