Innscor’s Simbisa Brands has increased its number of fast food outlet openings in Zimbabwe, up from 15 to 18. The group, which owns brands including Chicken Inn and Pizza Inn, plans to spend $10m this financial year opening these new outlets.

Simbisa Brands’ owner is Zimbabwean conglomerate Innscor, a major FMCG manufacturer. It has major interests in milling, meat and egg production, pet food, soft drinks and dairy products. It is also the largest QSR operator in the country owning and operating the Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn, Baker’s Inn and Fish Inn brands. It is also the franchise holder for Galito’s and Nando’s (grilled chicken), Steers and Vida e Caffe and delivery service Dial-a-Delivery.

Before COVID-19, Simbisa Brands had planned to open 20 outlets across Zimbabwe. This was revised down to 15 outlets and now revised back up to 18. It has already launched 16 outlets this financial year and has two more outlets planned to open in Chitungwiza, a commuter down south east of Harare. In the last financial year, Simbisa Brands opened 21 outlets in Zimbabwe at a cost of more than $6m.

Simbisa Brands is one of Africa’s biggest QSR operators, specialising in rolling out cost effective , value fast food outlets. It has 145 outlets outside Zimbabwe. Its Chicken Inn, Pizza Inn, Creamy Inn and Baker’s Inn brands operate in DRC, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Swaziland and Zambia.

In November 2019, Simbisa Brands revealed that group revenues in Q1 FY2020 increased by 455% over the same period in the year prior, even as the number of customers it served fell by 28%. Its Zimbabwe outlets increased revenues by 249%.