Papa John’s pizza has expanded operations into Sub-Saharan Africa with its franchise partner Kitchen Express, a subsidiary of AAH Limited. Kitchen Express plans to open 60 restaurants in Kenya and Uganda, with four of these planned to open in 2022 in Nairobi.
The partnership will enable AAH Limited, the majority shareholder of Hass Petroleum Group, to leverage its significant retail footprint in Kenya and the region.
In the first 9 months of 2021, Papa Johns has consistently reported record net unit growth as it signs development deals with new franchise owners like Kitchen Express Limited and current Papa Johns franchisees. In recent years, Papa Johns has entered 13 new countries including Spain, Portugal, Germany, Cambodia, Pakistan, France, Tunisia, Iraq, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Poland.
In August this year, the company announced that the Drake Food Service International will open over 220 new restaurants across Latin America, Spain, Portugal and the UK, in addition to acquiring over 60 locations in the UK.
Commenting on the planned expansion in Kenya, Abdinasir Ali Hassan, chairman of Kitchen Express and the Hass Petroleum Group said, “We are excited to partner with Papa Johns as it continues its expansion around the globe. Papa Johns is a company whose vision and values are closely aligned to our own, and this partnership brings together two brands built on a legacy of quality and service.”
Amanda Clark, Papa Johns Chief Development Officer, had this to say, “Establishing ourselves in Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time presents a great opportunity for Papa Johns to deliver on our Better Ingredients, Better pizza promise and continue our global momentum as a brand. We are very excited to work with Abdinasir and his team, his knowledge of the business landscape will be instrumental in making Papa Johns the leading pizza brand in both Kenya and Uganda.”