US pizza chain Papa John’s to open outlets in Kenya
American pizza chain Papa John’s is set to open 60 new outlets in Kenya and Uganda next year.
The outlets will be established under a partnership with AAH Limited-subsidiary Kitchen Express the majority shareholder of Hass Petroleum Group, which operates 140 petrol stations in 10 African countries.
The deal will see Papa John’s Pizza outlets unveiled at Hass petrol stations with the first four of these locations set to open in 2022, starting in Nairobi.
Papa John’s Pizza operates 5,500 restaurants in 50 countries around the world.
“Establishing ourselves in Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time presents a great opportunity for Papa Johns to deliver on our…promise and continue our global momentum as a brand,” said Amanda Clark, Papa John’s chief development officer in a statement.
Kitchen Express and Hass Petroleum Group Chairman Abdinasir Ali Hassan expressed optimism that the partnership would be successful for both parties, as Papa John’s looks to gain a foothold in the East African market.
“We are excited to partner with Papa Johns as it continues its expansion around the globe,” he stated.
For Hass, the deal will help it to grow its non-fuel business. Oil marketers are increasingly seeking to attract small consumer-focused businesses to their properties, a model that is meant to bring them rental income besides boosting fuel sales.
Oil marketer Vivo Energy, which trades under the Shell brand name, in 2019 announced that it would acquire a 50 percent stake in KFC in East Africa, through an agreement with franchise owners Kuku Foods East Africa Holdings.