CONSUMER DISCRETIONARY SECTOR
Herfy Food Services Company
INGREDIENTS FOR SUCCESS
Herfy Food Services Company
- www.herfy.com
- Year company founded:1981
- Number of employees: 5,709
- Market capitalization: SAR 3.85 billion
Herfy is a leading brand in fast food and food production and the first fully integrated food services company in Saudi Arabia, with a reputation built on its market-leading restaurants, bakeries, and food processing businesses. It operates more than 385 restaurants in the Kingdom, has franchised restaurants in Kuwait and Bangladesh, and is planning an expansion into more countries.
The company was founded in 1981 by Ahmed Al-Said, who had just returned from his studies in the United States and was driven by a vision of the future inspired by the fast food craze then sweeping the world. In partnership with Panda United, under its General Manager Hamoud Al-Ibrahim, the first Herfy restaurant was opened in Riyadh later that same year. The first bakery followed a year later as the company sought to gain more control over the quality of its products.
“Its listing on the Saudi Exchange in 2010 has underpinned its expansion and helped it deliver strong returns for shareholders. Additionally, a commitment to quality, highly qualified staff, and the latest technologies has allowed the company to compete with the largest international brands operating in the fast food and food production market both inside and outside the Kingdom. Led by current CEO Ahmed Al-Said, Herfy’s ability to compete on the international stage is enabling it to open more stores outside of Saudi Arabia.
As part of its commitment to provide jobs for Saudis, Herfy launched a national recruitment campaign under the slogan “Our success is in our youth.” The program offers training and development, financial incentives, and for some, the opportunity to work abroad. The company also seeks to offer employment to those with special needs.
Herfy has supported corporate social responsibility programs for more than 40 years and has been involved in charitable and volunteer activities with a range of organizations that support orphans, people with special needs, cancer patients, kidney diseases, and many more important causes.
Herfy Food Services Company
From its inception, Herfy’s vision has been to provide products and meals that meet the highest international standards, and thus play a leading role in the development of the Saudi food industry.
The company was founded in 1981 and the first Herfy restaurant was opened in Riyadh that same year. Looking to have better control over the quality of its products, the company opened its own Bakery in 1982.
In 2010, Herfy became a publicly listed company on the Saudi Exchange. This helped drive the company’s expansion throughout the Kingdom, where it increased from 172 stores to more than 385 in 2020. This growth occurred alongside the phenomenal performance of Herfy’s stock, which has outpaced the stock market and provided rewarding returns to the company’s shareholders.
Herfy has also started implementing the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system for the company’s Human Resources function. The results of this implementation were reflected in the company’s organizational structure across all of its sectors. Moreover, Herfy recently won two of the highest awards for technology implementation: the SAP Quality Award for the EMEA Region (Gold Winner – Cloud Innovation Category) and the GITEX 2019 Award for Best Technology Partner (Retail Category).
Herfy Restaurants
Today, Herfy is a fast-growing network of over 385 hugely popular fast food restaurants across Saudi Arabia. This makes Herfy by far the biggest and fastest-growing fast food chain in the Kingdom, and one of the biggest fast food companies in the Middle East. Herfy’s menu, which offers popular top Saudi favorites, is a key element in distinguishing the brand.
Herfy Bakeries, Cakes & Pastry Factory
Since its inception in 1982, Herfy Bakeries has grown from a simple supplier for Herfy restaurants into a major supplier of breads for various retailers and institutions throughout the Kingdom.
Due to increasing demand for Herfy products, Herfy’s Cake and Pastry Factory was established in 2011, utilizing the most advanced machinery and practices and producing a variety of high-quality breads, croissants, and pies.
385 Number of stores in 2020
Herfy Meat Processing Plant
The new state-of-the-art Herfy Meat Processing Plant began operating in 2005. It is considered the leading meat processing plant in the Middle East, using the latest manufacturing technology and producing fully cooked products, which are considered much safer and healthier than semi-cooked products.
Reflecting its commitment to high quality standards, Herfy Meat Products Processing Plant has been certified with ISO 22000: 2005 and SFDA certificate.
Overseas expansion
Herfy’s phenomenal success has positioned the company for even more growth beyond the borders of Saudi Arabia. In addition to Herfy’s restaurants in Kuwait & Bangladesh, it has plans to open more branches in other countries. In fact, the company has recently signed franchise agreement for Nigeria, and plans are afoot to finalize franchise agreements in other countries such as Uzbekistan, Iraq, and Qatar. With its expertise and long record of success, Herfy is well on its way to challenging the world’s biggest fast food brands in its own part of the world and beyond.
As it pursues its vision of becoming one of the region’s leading food services brands, Herfy’s continuous investment in product development and state-of-the-art technology has made the company a symbol of success, creativity, and innovation when it comes to providing meals and products at the right price – all while providing the best possible quality and customer care.