Jardine Restaurant Group acquires KFC franchises in Hong Kong and Macau

Jardine Restaurant Group, a member of the Jardine Matheson Group, operates Pizza Hut in Hong Kong, Vietnam and Taiwan, as well as 128 KFC outlets in Taiwan and Pizza Hut's PHD delivery brand in Hong Kong and Vietnam.

"In acquiring the KFC franchises in Hong Kong and Macau, Jardine Restaurant Group takes on this global quick-service chicken restaurant and a very capable management team," the company said in an exclusive statement to Campaign Asia-Pacific. "We are excited by this new addition to the Jardine family and to offer the business and its team members access to the resources, benefits and expertise of the group.”

KFC has "huge potential" in Hong Kong and Macau, the statement said, adding that the group has "ambitious" long-term growth plans for the business and will support Alan Chan, the business’s CEO by investing in the brand and focusing on customers to deliver great value.

“Although I am not a frequent fast-food eater myself, the KFC business in Hong Kong is doing not bad, and they have won lots of awards regionally,” a media-agency boss told Campaign Asia-Pacific. “However with so much competition with its counterparts like McDonalds, there are lots of price wars, and as consumers are becoming more health-conscious, they are demanding healthier food options like rice and salad.”

A creative agency head commented that the brand could benefit from more definition. “The perception of KFC in Hong Kong is quite ambiguous," this source said. "It is not here or there. People just know the old general from the US, and the fried chicken food offering is quite unhealthy.”

Mindshare is the current media agency for KFC and Pizza Hut.

KFC entered the Hong Kong market in 1985, and currently has more than 60 branches and more than 3,000 employees who serve more than 3 million customers each month, according to Yum.