Sphera Franchise Group (SFG), the largest group in the food service industry in Romania, opened a new Taco Bell restaurant on December 10 in the Sun Plaza shopping center in Bucharest. The drive-thru unit is the brand’s seventh location in the capital and the 18th in the group’s total portfolio, bringing the total number of restaurants operated by Sphera to 179.
The network operated by the Sphera Franchise Group, which employs around 5,000 people, now includes 110 KFC restaurants in Romania, 3 in the Republic of Moldova and 18 in Italy, along with 28 Pizza Hut restaurants and 18 Taco Bell units. In addition to organically expanding its existing brands, the group recently diversified its portfolio by adding the Hard Rock Cafe franchise, with plans to open five new restaurants in Brasov, Timisoara, Iasi, Cluj and Chisinau. Also in June, SFG announced the acquisition of Italian brand Cioccolatitaliani, with the first unit scheduled to open in Italy during 2025.
Sphera Franchise Group has been listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since the fall of 2017. At the last closing price of RON 38.00 per share, the company had a market capitalization of RON 1.47 billion, equivalent to EUR 288.41 million.