UAE fastfood chain expands

A UAE based fast food chain which started with just one outlet in Dubai is now poised to take on international fast food giants like KFC by setting up 300 outlets across the world in three continents including 100 outlets in India. Chicking Fried Chicken has been aggressively going global with new outlets opened or under planning in countries as far as Malaysia and Singapore in South East Asia, Kenya, Sudan and South Africa in the African continent and several GCC countries. Chicking Friend Chicken (CFC) recently opened two new outlets in Dubai (Al Nahda) and Abu Dhabi Madinat Zayed Shopping Center. Chicking currently has 72 outlets across the globe including 12 in the UAE, with two new outlets planned within a few months, eight new outletsin Saudi Arabia (Dammam and Riyadh) and similar growth plans charted for other GCC countries, the African and Asian markets. Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Mansoor AK Owner and Managing Director of Dubai-based Al Bayan Group said: “We are a young 'Made in the UAE' brand, established only in the year 2000. Within 12 years, we have expanded the footfall to our outlets in the UAE, even though many big shopping malls here have been skeptical about leasing retail space for us. Now we have expanded to countries like Oman, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, Singapore, Malaysia and India. We plan to increase our global retail network to 300 outlets by the year 2015. We are planning to have 100 outlets all over India, especially in the northern states like Punjab, where a lot ofchicken and meat is consumed.” He started business in 1993 with a small cargo company, sending and receiving cargo to Russia. Chicking was started with just Dh300,000 investment and within the first two years the venture was successful. Therefore he expanded the business model to more outlets within and outside the UAE. Al Bayan Water company too started simultaneously and is also a successful business. In the UAE about 600 employees work for various outlets and globally the number of employees will be around 1,000 people. Says Kareem Abdulla, a UAE based Indian businessman, who has purchased the franchise rights for 100 new outlets in India. “We plan to have 100 new outlets of Chicking Fried Chicken in Northern India within the next three years, especially in Punjab and other states where a lot of chickenis part of daily food intake. Fast food is a fast growing segment in India and we are confident that the investment that we make in Chicking will yield good results. All the new outlets started in Indian cities have been doing remarkably good business. In some areas, the global brands are yet to open.” Mansoor seems to be as ambitious as Colonel Sanders, the manbehind the global brand KFC.