Baker McKenzie with Kitopi on the acquisition of AWJ Investments
Kitopi, the tech-powered multi-brand restaurant, has completed its acquisition of AWJ Investments, a rapidly-growing food and beverage company based in Dubai that operates several major regional brands.
The acquisition will bolster Kitopi’s already-impressive portfolio of regional F&B brands by working with the AWJ Investments team, which has considerable expertise in building high-value brands. This, combined with Kitopi’s commercial, technical, and operational capabilities, will further cement its position as the world’s top cloud kitchen operator.
Kitopi was founded in Dubai in 2018 and has become the Middle East’s fastest-growing unicorn, with a valuation exceeding USD1 billion. The company provides Smart Kitchen Operating System (SKOS) solutions to food market brands. AWJ, on the other hand, is a fast-growing Food & Beverage Holding Group that explores popular Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and international flavours. Founded and based in Dubai, AWJ began its culinary journey with five unique concepts situated across Dubai’s most popular tourist and dining destinations.
Mahmoud Awad (pictured left) is Chief Legal Officer at Kitopi.
Baker McKenzie advised Kitopi on the acquisition. The team was led by m&a partner Osama Audi (Abu Dhabi, pictured top left), corporate partner Adnan Doha (Dubai, pictured top center) and senior associate Stephanie Samuell (Dubai, pictured top right), the Baker McKenzie cross-border and cross-practice team included m&a team comprising of associate Rami Younes (Riyadh), trainees Niharika Sahni (Dubai) and Razan Obeidat (Dubai) and paralegals Sami Nasr (Dubai) and Nora Chehouri (Dubai). Tax team included partner Tina Hsieh (Dubai), associate Ben Phillips (Dubai). Partner Anton Mikel (Riyadh) for disputes team. For employment partner Joanna Matthews-Taylor (Dubai) and senior associate Aqsa Khan-Sadiq (Dubai). Real Estate aspects handled by senior associate Keri Watkins (Dubai) and junior associate Jana Al-Afoo (Bahrain) and for competition partner David Monnier (Riyadh) and junior associate Marwan Othman (Riyadh).
