Taking steps to further strengthen its footprint in India, KFC, the US-based chicken restaurant chain of Yum! Brands, has recently opened an outlet at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, Mumbai. The outlet is located at the mezzanine level of Terminal 1C, which houses an expansive 11,750-sq.ft food court.
Speaking exclusively to IndiaRetailing, Sandeep Kataria, CMO, Yum! Restaurants (India) Pvt Ltd, said, “We see airports in India as real growth engines – both in terms of restaurants that provide finger-licking food to consumers as well as great brand-building, visibility and trial-building locations.”
The average size of a KFC airport outlet, Kataria informed, is around 1,200-1,400 sq.ft and the average bill size is generally 10-15 per cent higher than that of its regular outlets.
“We are already present in most airports that have undergone modernisation. Our intent is to be present in the others that are undergoing similar changes as and when the opportunity arrives,” he said.
Apart from airport retailing, Yum! also plans to target railways and metro stations for expansion. “We have plans for rapid expansion and would be investing significantly in our growth over the foreseeable future. We have already invested ahead of the curve in all our brands and are looking at investing an additional $100 million by 2015 in a phased manner,” Kataria said.
KFC is already present in tier II and III cities in India and looks at these cities as a significant part of its expansion plans. “We have a clearly defined penetration strategy and tier II and III cities are an important part of our expansion plans. The consumer response in these towns so far has been overwhelmingly positive,” Kataria said.
KFC is currently present in more than 20 cities with over 100 restaurants in India.
– Shubhra Saini
