Issa Brothers' EG Group has bought 52 more KFC restaurants.

The acquired network, across the south and south-west regions, comprises more than 1,600 team members and a mix of high-quality drive thru and traditional restaurant formats.

Post-completion EG will operate over 220 KFC restaurants in Europe and the UK.

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This acquisition establishes EG’s position as the largest franchisee in Western Europe for the KFC brand, which has positioned itself as a high-growth quick service restaurant brand and is the undisputed market leader in the chicken segment.

This transaction follows EG Group’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.

EG already benefits from broad experience in investing in food service development and operations and inclusive of this portfolio, the Group now operates more than 1,700 foodservice concessions.

Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa, co-founders and co-CEOs of EG Group and from Blackburn, 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.”

Paula MacKenzie, General Manager of KFC UK & Ireland, added: "EG Group’s commitment to investing not only in the existing restaurants, but also in growth through the development of new locations reinforces the strength of our brand, and of KFC as a world-class franchisor.

“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.”

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