Enrique Tomás is finalizing its entry into Asia, a project it has pursued for years and that will allow it to expand to a new continent after Europe and America. The leap to the Asian market points to a triple objective: China, the Philippines, and Japan, three countries where it will undertake very differentiated growth strategies, always hand in hand with partners. The goal of the leading Iberian ham sales company is to increase its turnover by 40% this year, reaching 300 million euros.
The most immediate project in Asia is the opening of four Enrique Tomás stores at Shenzhen Airport, which provides access to the region of the country dubbed the Chinese Silicon Valley, with more than 1,000 technology companies, including Huawei, Tencent, Oppo, ZTE, and Realme. The four establishments of the Badalona-based brand will open their doors in June, with three of them in the airside area of the airport and one in the landside area.
For this landing in Shenzhen, Enrique Tomás has as partners the sisters Liling Qi Zhou and Lidan Qi Zhou, founders of Grupo Puente China, which for thirty years has promoted relations between China and Spain from Barcelona. "Without them, I wouldn't have embarked on this project, not even as a joke," explains businessman Enrique Tomás, excited to be able to introduce his ham brand in such a prominent country in the world.
Grupo Puente China, which has Professor Pedro Nueno as an advisor, is a family business of Chinese origin that, for more than 30 years, has managed transactions between China and Spain. In addition to its focus on commercial intermediation, the company has diversified into several business lines, including research and development (R&D), healthcare services, and legal advice. "Our main objective is to build a bridge between Chinese and Spanish institutions and companies, offering comprehensive solutions that combine experience, networking, and knowledge of both Chinese and Western culture," explains the Zhou sisters' company.
The other major Asian country where the leading Iberian ham sales chain plans to land this year is the Philippines, and it will do so in a big way, hand in hand with the Emperador Group, owned by magnate Andrew L. Tan. This is an ambitious project that will involve the opening of multiple points of sale, according to Tomás, who recalls the strong ties Tan has with Spain, where he bought the Fundador and Garvey wineries. In fact, in all Enrique Tomás stores and tasting points, it is recommended to pair the ham with the Harveys fino, another of the brands that the Emperador group has in the Jerez region. Now, this commercial relationship will multiply with the master franchise agreement that Tomás has signed with Emperador and which will begin to be implemented this year.
The Emperador Group is considered the world leader in the brandy market and in the Philippines it operates in many other businesses, such as hotels or the operation of McDonald's premises in the country. In Spain, in addition to owning the Fundador, Garvey, Terry, Espléndido and Harveys brands, it has interests in the real estate sector through the Emperador Properties division which, in Barcelona, bought Torre Diagonal One, also known as Torre Telefónica.
Finally, Enrique Tomás trusts that in 2024 the first stores of the chain in Japan can also be inaugurated, a country where it reached an agreement with a local master franchisee in 2011, although so far the project has not been developed.
Sales of 167 million in 2023, up 56%
With a network of more than one hundred stores in Spain, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Andorra, United States (in the cities of Dallas, San Antonio and Miami), Mexico, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Argentina and Peru, Enrique Tomás closed 2023 with a turnover of 167 million euros, a figure that represents a growth of 56% compared to the 107 million recorded in 2022. This figure includes sales from the brand's franchised establishments. If only direct turnover is taken into account, 2022 revenues were 84 million.According to Tomás, expectations for 2024 remain very high, as the company has set out to grow by 80% and reach a business volume of 300 million.
Agreement to be a supplier to La Roja
Enrique Tomás plans to present this week in the Alimentaria Fairthe agreement it has reached to be the official ham ofThe Gourmet of the Red One, main collaborator of the Royal Spanish Football Federation. To this end, the company has developed a special product with a selection of 100% Iberian acorn-fed ham flavors, which they announce will feature the colors of the Spanish National Football Team."It is an honor to be able to announce this agreement. But what's more, it is only the first step to being much closer to the Spanish National Football Team. The federation is responsible for selecting the best male and female players in Spain, El Gourmet de la Roja the best flavors of Spain, and we select the best Spanish product that exists, which is also the best gastronomic product in the world. We couldn't pair it better," said the founder of Enrique Tomás.
El Gourmet de la Roja selects the best flavors of Spain to show the world the country's gastronomic and cultural heritage. "All our products are represented by the values of the National Team. History, tradition, commitment, and effort to take the name of Spain to all corners of the world. That is why it is a natural agreement to have Enrique Tomás, the best Iberian ham selected piece by piece," explains Félix Sánchez, director and founder of El Gourmet de la Roja.
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