News

The Pizza Co. eyes Middle East expansion

August 15, 2005

The Associated Press: Now that William Heinecke has successfully brought American pizza, doughnuts and ice cream to multiple Asian nations, he's setting his sights on the Middle East — a tempting but risky target for many U.S. entrepreneurs.

The twist is that neither Heinecke nor his company are American; they're Thai. And he believes therein lies a huge advantage.

"People are very pleased that we're not an American company. If we were an American brand, there are people who might be concerned," said the 56-year-old business tycoon, who changed his citizenship from U.S. to Thai in 1991. His company, Minor Food Group, owns The Pizza Company, and is based in Bangkok, Thailand. "In the old days we (America) were loved. But now we may not be entirely loved in the Middle East."

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