Thailand’s Royal Garden Resort integrates with The Minor Food Group

Earlier this month, Thailand’s Royal Garden Resort integrated with The Minor Food Group to become Minor International: Thailand’s largest hospitality and leisure operator both in terms of annual sales, US$206 million and number of employees, 10,000. 

The name change was chosen to better reflect the company’s three-year effort to consolidate its food service operations - Minor Food Group, with its hotel division - Royal Garden Resorts, both of which were previously listed separately on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. The Company now trades its stock under the symbol MINT. 

Now well into its fourth decade, the company is not only managing international brands in Thailand but also launching its own concepts internationally. 2005 sees the opening of the first Anantara Resort and Spa outside of Thailand in the Maldives, one of 3 Maldivian resorts the company has recently acquired. Additional international resorts are being negotiated in Sri Lanka, Bali and Vietnam. The company’s M-Spa is also making its name internationally with spas being developed in Beirut, Jordan, Dubai, Tanzania and Zanzibar in addition to its developments in China and Asia.

Minor Food Group’s international name is set to continue apace with franchised Pizza Company and Swensen’s restaurants in Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Philippines, China and Cambodia. Future plans also include the southern Mediterranean and countries that are within a six to eight hour plane flight from Thailand such as Russia and India.

Minor International Chief Executive Officer, William Heinecke explains, "To achieve our goals in Thailand and abroad, we decided several years ago to bring Royal Garden Resorts and the Minor Food Group together in one listed company. This enlarged company combines our rich heritage and legacy of nearly thirty years of success in Thailand as well as our ambitions to grow our brands and businesses in markets across Asia from the Middle East to China."

The Company’s hotel and leisure operations encompass many of the world’s leading brands: Four Seasons; Marriott; JW Marriott; Mandara Spa plus the company’s own Anantara Resorts and Spas. In its food division, Minor International represents household names such as Pizza Company, Dairy Queen; Swenson’s; Sizzler and Burger King.

The last decade has seen the company’s revenue grow from 356 million Baht (US$8.9 million) to 8,237 million Baht (almost US$206million). Net profits have jumped from 30 million Baht (US$750,000) in 1995 to 712 million Baht (almost US$18 million) in 2004.