Ice cream chain Cold Stone Creamery (CSC) is partnering with the Tablez Food Company to open 40 locations in India and five locations in Sri Lanka.

“Over the next five years, Tablez Food Company plans to invest around $11 to $13 million in the Cold Stone Creamery business across India and Sri Lanka” said Shafeena Yussuf Ali, chairwoman at Tablez Food Company.

The company, she added, “plans to open the first Cold Stone Creamery at Lulu Mall in Kochi in November this year, followed by a few stores in Bangalore and subsequently other cities in India and Sri Lanka over the coming years.”

Tablez is a subsidiary of Lulu Group International, LLC, which is active in the retail, imports & exports, trading, shipping, IT, travel & tourism and education sectors, currently operates multiple food & beverage brands spanning across India, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates.

Cold Stone Creamery is a subsidiary of Kahala Brands and is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company has continued to make strong key moves into the international market in recent years. Its global growth began in November 2005 when it opened its first international store in Tokyo, Japan.

CSC has stores operating in nearly 300 international locations and more than 25 countries, including the Philippines, China, Cyprus, Kuwait, Qatar, Trinidad, Singapore, Thailand, Nigeria, Egypt, and Indonesia.