Following the successful launch of three new international concepts in South Africa, Tashas Group is accelerating its local expansion with plans to introduce a further eight of its internationally developed brands into the market.
With six concepts already established and a global portfolio of 14 distinctive brands, the Group is uniquely positioned to serve a broad spectrum of the hospitality landscape – from casual all-day dining and fast casual to elevated dining, globally recognised bars, and luxury retail.
Since Natasha Sideris opened the first tashas in 2005, the Group has grown into an internationally recognised hospitality company with 45 locations across South Africa, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UK.
The Group currently operates 22 locations in South Africa. tashas leads with 17 locations across Cape Town, Pretoria and Johannesburg. Le Parc currently has one location in Johannesburg, with three more set to open this year. The recent addition of three new international concepts – Cafe Sofi, Arlecchino and Tashas Home, a retail homewares concept – has added a new dimension to the Group’s local offering.
“The reception of our latest international concepts in South Africa has made us realise that there is market demand for all of our brands,” says Natasha Sideris, CEO and Co-founder of Tashas Group. “Having the right partners has helped to drive our success locally, and we would like to take the same approach to introducing the rest of our brands to this market.”
As part of this next phase of growth, the Group is seeking to partner with a select group of experienced operators to introduce its remaining international concepts across South Africa.
The additional and existing brands set to be introduced into South Africa include a curated selection of Tashas Group’s internationally developed concepts across its key categories. This includes the continued growth of existing international concepts such as Cafe Sofi and Arlecchino. Elevated dining concepts include Avli, Flamingo Room, Bungalo34 and African Lounge, while fast casual is represented by NALA. The Group’s bar portfolio includes Galaxy Bar and Perlage, alongside its retail concepts, Collective Africa and Tashas Home. Together, these brands reflect the Group’s ability to deliver thoughtfully considered experiences across multiple segments of the hospitality landscape.
“Each of these brands presents exciting opportunities and reflects a distinct expression of our approach to hospitality. We believe there is a strong appetite in South Africa for these concepts, and through the right partnerships, we will be able to bring them to market in a way that maintains our standards while allowing for meaningful local growth,” says Savva Sideris, Group Development Director and Co-founder of Tashas Group.
Further expansion following initial success
This next phase of expansion builds on a year of strong growth for the Group. In 2025, Tashas Group introduced NALA in the UAE, its first fast casual concept, alongside the openings of tashas in Riyadh and Avli by tashas in Bahrain. In South Africa, the Group further strengthened its footprint with new tashas locations in Bassonia and Cavendish, as well as the introduction of Arlecchino, Cafe Sofi and Tashas Home, bringing fresh energy to its local offering.
This momentum continues locally into 2026 with upcoming openings including tashas Fourways, and three new Le Parc locations in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. There will be a further 11 openings planned across the UAE – comprising five tashas cafés, four NALA locations, as well as Cafe Sofi and Ouzeri.
A unique approach to franchising
The first step in the rollout of these new concepts will be identifying the right partners. The Group does not follow a traditional franchise model. Its “Anti-Franchise Franchise” approach is built on a collaborative, turnkey partnership model, drawing on over 20 years of operational experience to support partners from concept to execution.
This involves working closely with partners across every stage of the process – from partner vetting and selection, initial design and brand development to project management, staff training, operational setup and ongoing support. Rather than providing a static framework, the Group remains actively involved in each business, ensuring consistency, quality and long-term success.
“We are not a typical franchise business. We don’t just give you a manual of how to do it. We work alongside our partners from the outset and remain actively involved to ensure the integrity of the brand and the commercial success of each site,” says Natasha.
Interested parties can contact franchise@tashasgroup.com.
