EG Group, the forecourt giant run by the new owners of Asda, has announced the acquisition of 52 Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurants in the UK from the Amsric Group.
The acquired network, across the south and south-west regions, comprises more than 1,600 staff and a mix of drive-thru and traditional restaurant formats.
EG already operates more than 1,700 foodservice concessions. This acquisition establishes its position as the largest franchisee in Western Europe for the KFC brand. Post-completion, EG will operate over 220 KFC restaurants in Europe and the UK.
This transaction follows EG’s acquisition of the largest KFC franchise in the UK and Ireland from The Herbert Group in March 2020. At the time, the acquisition comprised 146 KFC restaurants and one Pizza Hut Store, as well as a development pipeline and a small number of non-trading sites.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-CEOs of EG Group, commented: “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.”
