GlobalAtlanta | Companies in the News

Cinnabon Enters U.K. Through Piccadilly Circus

Atlanta-based bakery chain Cinnabon Inc. is to open its first United Kingdom location in a London tourist hotspot.

The company’s signature cinnamon rolls will be doled out at Trocadero Centre mall in Piccadilly Circus, a London crossroads known for its neon signs and nearby shopping.

Company officials said they have signed an agreement with franchise partner Cinnaworld Ltd. to open 40 shops in the U.K. Rayhaan Hassim, principal owner of Cinnaworld, said the first location is an auspicious one for the company.

“We look forward to introducing travelers, residents and mall shoppers and employees to the historical and wildly popular Piccadilly Circus to our extensive lines of delicious treats,” he said.

Cinnabon currently has more than 600 locations in 30 countries.

Focus Brands Inc., the bakery’s parent company, also has franchisees under such names as Carvel Ice Cream, Moe’s Southwest Grill, Schlotzsky’s deli and Seattle’s Best Coffee. The Atlanta company operates 2,200 restaurants in 32 countries.

“We always have our eyes open for international opportunities, and when we can work with existing franchise partners to expand our presence in Europe and other regions abroad, that’s the frosting on the roll,” said Mike Shattuck, senior vice president for international operations at Focus.

Suwanee Software Developer Boosts Investment in Ireland

A Suwanee company that develops software for the cable television industry is investing about $6.5 million in its research and development center in Cork, Ireland.

Billy Kelleher, Ireland’s minister for labor affairs, announced Sept. 3 that Arris Group Inc. is making the investment.

“This is excellent news as the investment is leading-edge R&D and will further secure the existing Arris operations and employment at the Cork site,” he said. “The decision to locate such a strategic investment at the Cork site was influenced by its success to date, for which the Cork management and workforce are to be congratulated.”

Arris Communications Ireland Ltd., a subsidiary of the Suwanee-based parent company, employs 52 people in Cork. It was established in 1999 as Com21 Ireland Ltd. but was acquired by Arris in 2003.

IDA Ireland, the government-sponsored organization to attract international investment, supported the company’s acquisition and subsequent investments in the center.

Charles Cheevers, Arris’ chief technical officer for Europe, said the Cork facility develops video applications and the new investment will be used to upgrade technology there.

The company has offices in eight U.S. cities and subsidiaries in Chile, China, Japan, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Korea and Spain.

Peachtree City Airline Partners with Air France on Cargo Flights

Peachtree City-based airline World Airways Inc. began operating one of Air France’s freighter planes Aug. 31.

Wolrd Airways is to fly the MD-11F plane on routes to several North African destinations and a weekly flight to Brazil, to help the Paris-based carrier meet its cargo requirements in those markets.

This is the second consecutive year the two airlines have partnered on cargo flights to Africa. World Airways also operates cargo flights for Lufthansa Cargo AG of Cologne, Germany, and Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. It has a passenger route deal with Sonair Servicio Aereo of Luana, Angola.

World Airways operates its own charter passenger and cargo flights, the largest percentage of which transport U.S. military personnel.

The airline is a subsidiary of Global Aero Logistics Inc., a holding company in Peachtree City that also owns New York-based North American Airlines Inc.

World Airways moved to Peachtree City, about 30 miles south of Atlanta, from Herndon, Va., in 2001.

Steve Forsyth, the airline’s director of corporate communications, told GlobalAtlanta that the move was to tap into the area’s lower operating costs and a pool of experienced airline industry employees.