This follows a year of strong growth for the company with sales up by 27 per cent overall in 2006.

GICC General Manager Manoj Loya says the company will open 60 new outlets this year — 28 in Saudi Arabia, 17 in the UAE and the remaining 15 spread over Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.

This will take the number of outlets in the UAE alone to nearly 100 and more than 400 across the GCC, extending its position as the largest Baskin Robbins franchise in the world and as the largest quick service restaurant (QSR) brand in the Gulf region.

For long the leading ice cream brand in the region, Baskin Robbins already has a fairly large market share, but expects even greater dominance when the new outlets are open and the rebranding exercise is completed across the GCC.

"We are confident of a double-digit growth in sales this year as a direct result of the greater awareness generated by our new look, as well as having 60 more outlets where people can buy their favourite ice cream," Mr Loya said.

"A key driver in our expansion plans has been the introduction of a fresh new logo and a complete makeover in-store," says GICC Marketing Manager Georgie Thomas. "It is the first major logo change for Baskin Robbins in the Gulf and our research has shown that our customers love the new look."

BaskinRobbins is part of the Dunkin' Brands Inc.