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Shilpa Shetty buys into
lucrative curry business
24 August 2009
Bollywood
actress Shilpa Shetty and her fiancé, entrepreneur
Raj Kundra, have bought a stake in V8 Gourmet
Group which compasses restaurant brands 'The Bombay
Bicycle Club', high end 'Vama' and fast food brand
'Tiffinbites'. At a press launch, Shetty said
that she was hugely excited to be working with
celebrity chef Andy Varma (of Vama) to formulate
a range of low-fat curry ready meals, chutneys
and pickles that she will launch in six to eight
months under the 'Gourmet Creations' brand. The
V8 Group owned by Anoup Treon had a turnover of
£15 million in 2008 and 456 employees based
in 29 sites throughout the UK.
The
group is well-placed to take advantage of London
Olympics 2012, which will give a boost to the
take away retail market estimated to be worth
£47.5bn by 2014, with The Bombay Bicycle
Club and Shilpa 'Gourmet Creations' brands. The
Fast Food market, estimated to be worth some £3.6billion
in 2012 is catered for by The Tiffinbites brand,
with the remaining contract catering marketing
being handled the Vama brands.
"I feel proud to be
associated with the V8 Gourmet Group" said
Shetty, "they have carved a niche for themselves
in the Indian food industry in the last 13 years,
and spell consistency, quality and authentic Indian
food. I hope that our partnership will grow faster
and envisage a great future with a whole new line
of products and restaurants all over Europe, Dubai
and Jordan".
She added that had been looking
for a collaboration in the UK so that she could
reach out to her British and British Asian fans
who have been following her story since she won
Celebrity Big Brother.
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