EG Group acquires 52 KFC restaurants in UK
Asda owner EG Group has acquired 52 Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the UK from Amsric Group.
Spanning the south and south-west regions, the network comprises a mix of drive thru and traditional restaurant formats and 1.600 team members.
The move means that EG Group now operates more than 1,700 foodservice concessions and is the biggest franchisee in Western Europe for the KFC brand following its acquisition of the largest KFC franchise in the UK and Ireland from The Herbert Group in March 2020..
Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-chief executives of EG Group, said: “Acquiring the Amsric portfolio further strengthens our customer proposition and is highly complementary to our existing operations, and our long-term growth plans for our foodservice business.
“The KFC brand has continued to grow in recent years due to its focus on changing customer needs and brand positioning. Even during the pandemic, KFC moved quickly to assess and adapt in order to embrace the rapidly evolving environment. We have seen a marked upward trend in the performance of our existing KFC network and this has given us confidence to consider and invest in more assets.
“The network we have acquired is a strong portfolio of assets and we are looking forward to working with the Amsric management team and KFC to ensure a smooth transition for the teams and an effectively managed transfer of operations and assets.”
Once the sale is complete, EG group will operate over 220 KFC restaurants in Europe and the UK.
Paula MacKenzie, general manager of KFC UK & Ireland, added: “We are confident that EG Group’s expertise, focus on their people and depth of connection to our brand will yield tremendous success and continued growth.”