KFC has released details of its first outlet in Rwanda. Originally due to launch in 2019, the new outlet is a drive thru restaurant on the forecourt of leading fuel retailer SP’s outlet in Remera, Kigali, where the busy RN3 and RN15 roads meet. It is due to launch in February 2020 and is the latest country in KFC’s Africa expansion plan.
Remera is a popular area with a lively restaurant and entertainment scene. It is close to both Kigali International Airport and Amahoro Stadium, the home of the country’s football team.
The site for this first KFC is perhaps an unusual choice given that franchisee Kuku Foods’ strategic partner in Africa is Vivo Energy, which operates Shell service stations across Africa and Engen service stations in Rwanda. Société Pétrolière (SP), KFC’s launch partner, is the leading service station operator in Rwanda. It also partners with bakery/café chain Brioche in Rwanda. Vivo Energy, meanwhile, partners with leading supermarket chain Sawa Citi, with eight forecourt supermarkets.
In 2019, KFC opened new outlets in four further African countries: Gabon (March), Senegal (October), Madagascar (November) and Sudan (December).
In Gabon, Partner Resto Group opened its second KFC outlet in Libreville in December 2019.
By mid December, Senegalese franchisee Sedima (a major player in the country’s poultry sector) had opened a second outlet in Dakar. The group plans a third outlet in Q3 2020 and 7 new outlets overall in 2020. Sedima also operates in Mali, the Republic of Congo (Brazaville) and Equatorial Guinea – all untapped markets for KFC.
In Sudan, KFC’s partner Araak Group – primarily known as a Pepsi bottler – opened three outlets almost at the same time, all in Khartoum: in the Riyadh area and Khartoum 2 and in Khartoum north. It has since opened a fourth outlet. Araak already operated two Pizza Hut restaurants (also owned by KFC’s parent company Yum! Brands) in the country. In fact, back in December 2018 Trendtype forecast that Yum! Brands would give Sudan more of a push.
Where next? The most obvious next markets are:
- The Democratic Republic of Congo, where Simbisa Brands’ Chicken Inn has a small footprint, as does Shoprite’s Hungry Lion fried chicken brand.
- Ethiopia, where Pizza Hut already has a small footprint since 2017 with franchisee Belayab Foods (which also owns the rights to Cold Stone Creamery in the country). KFC has been rumoured to be opening in the country since at least 2015.
For more information, check out Trendtype’s comprehensive report on fried chicken outlets in Africa, part of a series covering all major fast food formats across Africa, which also includes our QSR Explorer tool.
