UK-based global restaurant chain Chicken Cottage Ltd has signed a franchising partnership agreement to open 50 restaurants across East Africa.
The deal is with Express Kitchen Ltd, a subsidiary of AAH Limited, the majority shareholder of Hass Petroleum Group which has a significant retail footprint in Africa.
The agreement will introduce a fusion menu of halal grilled and fried chicken to Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda consumers. The first four restaurants are earmarked to launch this year, with the first scheduled to open in Nairobi, Kenya in April.
Chicken Cottage Ltd, based in Croydon near London, was established in 1994 to bring Halal grilled and fried chicken to the community living in Wembley. It now attracts customers from all communities, and currently operates more than 75 restaurants across the world.
Express Kitchen Ltd is an affiliate of Hass Petroleum Group, one of the leading indigenous oil marketing companies in Africa which currently operates more than 150 petrol stations across 10 countries in Africa.
“The Chicken Cottage high-quality halal fried, and grilled chicken products and its forward-thinking ethos complement our strategy to deliver a holistic family friendly destination for our consumers. The team and I look forward to launching this new concept in East Africa and supporting Chicken Cottage with its ambitious and visionary expansion plans in the region,” said Abdinasir Ali Hassan, Chairman of Express Kitchen Ltd and Hass Petroleum Group.
This partnership with Chicken Cottage follows a similar deal recently announced with international pizza brand Papa John’s.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Express Kitchen Ltd and their experienced team to bring our famous Chicken Cottage products to new customers across East Africa,” said Chicken Cottage Ltd Group CEO Shahrin Imran.
The deal will strengthen Chicken Cottage’s presence in Africa following the opening of the first two restaurants in Nigeria and build on the 75 restaurants it operates across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The partnership will also empower Hass Petroleum to leverage its significant retail footprint as it introduces new customers to Chicken Cottage.
“This marks a major step in our international expansion programme, and we are confident that the knowledge AAH Group has in the region will help make this franchise partnership an enormous success,” said Senior Manager of Global Development at Chicken Cottage Ltd Ian Jeffrey.
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