Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC), one of the largest restaurant chains in the US, to launch the Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchise in Ethiopia within a year. KFC’s franchise restaurants in Addis Ababa will be run by Ethiopia’s most recognized coffee shop brand Kalid’s coffee.
“We are in the final stages of negotiation to bring the brand here in Ethiopia. We have settled on most of the details and we are closer to having to sign the final document within weeks. We are excited,” said Elias Ketema Kalid’s representative.
The company behind KFC, the Kentucky based Yum!, owner of one of the largest restaurant chains in the US, next to McDonalds, has been studying the Ethiopian market for a number of years as its next frontier to sustain its growth. This comes as the fast food chain has been losing ground to a health conscious population in what was once its commanding market of North America and Europe.
“Ethiopia stands out for expansion because of its population,” the company said (in 2015). “We are certainly nowhere near pushing the go button, it’s still at that explore stage to find the right partner to see if the business model will work.”
Three years forward, with a population of close to 100 million, Ethiopia continues to attract a slew of fast foods, including Pizza Hut, another Yum! brand that is set to launch its first eatery on February 25 in Addis Ababa. The Ethiopian franchises are set to complement newly acquired restaurants in a dozen African nations, including Zimbabwe, South Africa, Kenya and Angola. (Ezega)