Business
Tantalizers Hinges Growth On $8.5m IFC Fund
Tantalizers, a notable Quick Service Restaurant chain in the country has stated that it is planning its future growth partly on the $8.5m (N1.3bn) funding package it signed with the International Finance Corporation – a member of the World Bank group.
The Chairman of the Tantalizers, Dr. Jaiye Oyedotun said at the 34th Annual General Meeting of the company in Lagos that the fund has positioned his company to reap from opportunities that will follow the improvement of the Nigerian economy.
“The fund will be used partly to finance the construction of new outlets and the renovation of existing ones. It will also be used to complete the Information Technology infrastructure which he said his company has started deploying.
Tantalizers shareholders had ratified the IFC agreement at the Extraordinary General Meeting of the company last March.
Oyedotun projected a positive outlook for the Nigerian economy in the second half. He said, “Although the first half of 2010 will still be challenging to business, there are positive indicators that the second half will be much better. The economy is expected to grow as a result of ease on credit by the banks, progress in budget implementation and increased tempo in political activities as the 2011 elections draw near.”
He highlighted the harsh economic environment and its effects on businesses in the country and said, “the credit crunch which was the direct consequence of the reforms initiated mid-year in the banking sector seriously stifled business operations and hampered growth.
He said Tantalizers spent N213m on diesel in 2009 regretting that a substantial portion of that would have gone into improving the bottom line of the business.