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Celebrating its 20th anniversary in the SAR today (September 5), leading global restaurant chain, KFC announced expansion plan to strengthen Hong Kong's strategic role in its worldwide business development. The restaurant also launched a foundation to serve the community.
Introduced to Hong Kong in 1985 by Swire Marketing Limited and subsequently taken over in 1997 by Birdland (Hong Kong) Limited – a franchisee of KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands - KFC now has 52 outlets in Hong Kong, serving over three million customers every month. The company currently employs more than 2,800 full-time and part-time staff. With strong confidence in our food and catering industry, KFC plans to increase the number of outlets in the city from 52 to 90 by 2009.
According to the CEO of Birdland (Hong Kong) Limited, Mr Yuka Yeung, this expansion will involve an additional investment amounting to over HK$150 million, supported by its major shareholder - Navis Capital Partners Limited, a Malaysia based company.
Mr Yuka Yeung said, "Hong Kong is a unique city, where consumers can find a variety of food from all around the world. Responding to demand from our customers, we are constantly improving the standard of our food and services. The first outlet was opened here 20 years ago. Since then, Hong Kong has become a very important market of the KFC network. We now have over 50 outlets in the city, and are confident that we will be able to nearly double the size of our operations in the next four years."
"Hong Kong's position as one of the most popular tourist destinations for travellers from the region, including the Mainland, has created an ideal platform for us to showcase our quality food and services. Our success in Hong Kong has strongly influenced the development of KFC's business in neighbouring markets."
The Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, Mr Mike Rowse, officiated at the 20th anniversary celebration. He said, "It is very encouraging for us to celebrate the 20th anniversary of KFC and to learn about its future expansion plan in Hong Kong. This is a classic example of another successful long-term investment by a foreign investor in our city, which has created employment opportunities for the local workforce."
As part of the company's long-term commitment to serve the Hong Kong community, KFC also officially launched the "KFC Real Care Foundation" with an initial donation of HK$1 million. The Foundation will support charitable organisations in Hong Kong by actively participating in their programmes. The Foundation will also work with these organisations to encourage public support and contributions by making use of KFC's resources, such as placing donation boxes in the outlets and organising staff volunteer programmes.
Mr Yuka Yeung said, "We love Hong Kong and are committed to further integrate into the local community under our new corporate culture of 'KFC So Real! Real Food, Real Place, Real People'. We are not only committed to providing quality food and services to our customers, we also build goodwill with the local community at different levels. The KFC Real Care Foundation is an important milestone in our long-term development here."
Mr Rowse, who also officiated at the launch of KFC Real Care Foundation, said, "We are delighted to see KFC/Birdland expanding its corporate citizenship programme here by giving back to our community. We wish KFC/Birdland and the Foundation every success in their future development in Hong Kong."
Based in Kentucky, US, KFC has more than 13,000 outlets, serving 8 million customers daily in more than 100 countries worldwide. The restaurant chain is part of Yum! Brands, which owns other restaurant brands including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver's and A&W. In 1987, KFC opened the first Western-style quick service restaurant in the Mainland. For more information on KFC in Hong Kong, please visit the website at www.kfchk.com.
Invest Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department charged with encouraging and facilitating inward investment into the city by providing all the support needed to establish a business presence here. For more information, please visit the website at www.investhk.gov.hk.
Ends/Monday, September 5, 2005
Issued at HKT 14:32
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