Southern Fried Chicken opens in Kyrgyzstan
The fried chicken brand opened its first store in Kyrgyzstan following the appointment of a master franchisor earlier this year.
President of FFS Brands Chris Gibson said that the opening of Southern Fried Chicken in Bishkek represents the first franchised food service brand to enter Kyrgyzstan.
“Bishkek is a vibrant city and a readymade market with disposable income for Quick Service Food. The launch event was packed, the new master franchisor is highly proactive and we’re fully confident that the venture will be a success – we’re already looking for sites two and three for early expansion next year,” he said.
“This isn’t the only territory where getting into a region early has proved to be a winning formula for companies like Fast Food Systems. Indeed when the ‘big brands’ only saw Perm in Russia as a dot on a big map back in 1999, we were able to provide a far lower entry level for potential investors in a Southern Fried Chicken franchise; 15 years later we have over 40 Southern Fried Chicken sites across the region, so we’ve proved what can be achieved. If the system is transferrable and import costs are acceptable – as ours are - then transferring that knowledge to new local franchisees can mean growth in territories and entry into a market right from the beginning.”
Currently, the company said that it is seeking more investors for master franchises in Moscow and other centres of dense population and high consumption of quick service restaurant food.
“We’re targeting proven territories too, providing we believe there’s still plenty of potential for profit and long-term growth – hence our interest in Moscow, St.Petersburg and other centres across the region,” Gibson said.
