KFC's 'finger-lickin'-good' chicken heads to Sweden
US fast food chain KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is set to open in Sweden in 2014.
The planned introduction of KFC's "finger-lickin-good" fast food chicken to the Swedish market comes following a deal between Swedish franchise group Nordic Service Partners (NSP) and KFC-owner Yum! Brands.
The deal gives NSP franchising rights for KFC in Sweden, with the country's first KFC eatery to be opened in the Stockholm area sometime this year.
"We don't know exactly when or where yet as the deal was just signed. But I can tell you we want to open as soon as possible," NSP CEO Morgan Jallinder told The Local.
He added that NSP hopes to open five to six new KFCs in Sweden every year, and while the focus will remain on Sweden at first, Jalinder didn't rule out further expansion across Scandinavia.
NSP is already the largest Burger King franchise-owner in the Nordic region, operating 41 of the hamburger restaurants in Sweden and 17 in Denmark.
The new KFC franchise opening marks something or a re-entry to Sweden by the popular fast food chain. Back in 1981, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, as KFC was known at the time, opened on Sveavägen in Stockholm, but was later closed because it "failed to live up to KFC's high standards", according to NSP.
Jallinder explained that part of the decision to bring KFC back to Sweden was that chicken consumption in the country has more than doubled since the early 1980s.
"Our research found that chicken is the second most popular food that people eat at home in Sweden behind spaghetti and meat sauce," he said.
"And right now there are plenty of burger restaurants in Sweden, but there's no restaurant concept that focus solely on chicken."
Jallinder hopes to supply Swedish KFCs with fresh chicken from Sweden.
"We're currently exploring the prices for Swedish chicken, but we also know there is a functioning supply chain for KFCs elsewhere in Europe," he said.
KFC is one of the world's largest fast food chains, with more than 19,000 restaurants in 112 countries.
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The planned introduction of KFC's "finger-lickin-good" fast food chicken to the Swedish market comes following a deal between Swedish franchise group Nordic Service Partners (NSP) and KFC-owner Yum! Brands.
The deal gives NSP franchising rights for KFC in Sweden, with the country's first KFC eatery to be opened in the Stockholm area sometime this year.
"We don't know exactly when or where yet as the deal was just signed. But I can tell you we want to open as soon as possible," NSP CEO Morgan Jallinder told The Local.
He added that NSP hopes to open five to six new KFCs in Sweden every year, and while the focus will remain on Sweden at first, Jalinder didn't rule out further expansion across Scandinavia.
NSP is already the largest Burger King franchise-owner in the Nordic region, operating 41 of the hamburger restaurants in Sweden and 17 in Denmark.
The new KFC franchise opening marks something or a re-entry to Sweden by the popular fast food chain. Back in 1981, a Kentucky Fried Chicken, as KFC was known at the time, opened on Sveavägen in Stockholm, but was later closed because it "failed to live up to KFC's high standards", according to NSP.
Jallinder explained that part of the decision to bring KFC back to Sweden was that chicken consumption in the country has more than doubled since the early 1980s.
"Our research found that chicken is the second most popular food that people eat at home in Sweden behind spaghetti and meat sauce," he said.
"And right now there are plenty of burger restaurants in Sweden, but there's no restaurant concept that focus solely on chicken."
Jallinder hopes to supply Swedish KFCs with fresh chicken from Sweden.
"We're currently exploring the prices for Swedish chicken, but we also know there is a functioning supply chain for KFCs elsewhere in Europe," he said.
KFC is one of the world's largest fast food chains, with more than 19,000 restaurants in 112 countries.
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