Restaurant chain Chicken Cottage has signed a franchising partnership agreement with Express Kitchen, a subsidiary of AAH Limited, to open a chain of restaurants in the East African region. The agreement will introduce a fusion menu of halal grilled and fried chicken to consumers in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
The first four restaurants are earmarked to launch in 2022, with the first scheduled to open in Nairobi, Kenya in April 2022. Express Kitchen is an affiliate of the Hass Petroleum Group, an indigenous Oil marketing company in Africa which currently operates more than 150 petrol stations across 10 countries in Africa.
The deal is expected to strengthen Chicken Cottage’s presence in Africa following the opening of first two restaurants in Nigeria and build on the 75 restaurants it operates across Europe, Africa, Asia, and Middle East. The partnership will also empower Hass Petroleum to leverage its significant retail footprint as it introduces new customers to Chicken Cottage.
Speaking at the signing of the agreement, Abdinasir Ali Hassan, Chairman of Express Kitchen and Hass Petroleum Group said, “The Chicken Cottage high-quality halal fried, and grilled chicken products and its forward-thinking ethos complement our strategy to deliver a holistic family friendly destination for our consumers. The team and I look forward to launching this new concept in East Africa and supporting Chicken Cottage with its ambitious and visionary expansion plans in the region.”
On his part, Chicken Cottage Group CEO Shahrin Imran had this to say, “We are delighted to be partnering with Express Kitchen Ltd and their experienced team to bring our famous Chicken Cottage products to new customers across East Africa.”