Wagamama to launch in India amid 'significant demand'

Wagamama is to open its first restaurants in India in a bid to capitalise on the country’s growing number of middle-class travellers.

The noodle chain said it saw “significant demand” for its brand in India due to its largely youthful population and preference for vegetarian options.

Wagamama has signed a deal with Travel Food Services (TFS), a partner of SSP Group, to open its first restaurant at Mumbai Airport’s International Terminal this year.

Further sites are expected to follow in travel hubs across the country.

The deal will see Wagamama grow its presence to 19 countries worldwide. The pan-Asian restaurant chain opened its first site in London’s Bloomsbury in 1992 and has since expanded to over 165 UK restaurants.

India is proving an attractive market to international restaurant brands and last year Jamie Oliver’s franchise arm said it hoped to open more than 200 restaurants across the country.

Wagamama said India was an ideal growth market due to its fast-growing economy and rising middle class with disposable income and a desire to travel.

More than 250 million people in India have transitioned out of poverty in recent years and 41% of the population is expected to be part of the middle class by 2031, according to Kantar.

Thomas Heier, chief executive of Wagamama, said: “We are delighted to enter India later this year through our partnership with Travel Food Services, bringing our pan-Asian cuisine to a market where we anticipate significant demand.

“We look forward to working closely with TFS to scale our presence across India, as we continue our international expansion into exciting growth markets.”

Wagamama owner the Restaurant Group was sold to private equity firm Apollo Global Management for £506m last year following months of infighting between investors.