Leading Kfc Franchise Sold

(Saturday, March 29, 2008) - THE credit crunch and retail slowdown isn't souring our taste for fast food, a fact reflected by the sale yesterday of one of Britain's largest KFC franchise operations.

Marsden Caterers of Sheffield sold its Pounds 17m turnover KFC franchise to Marz, a family business headed by entrepreneur Raja Adil, for an undisclosed sum.

The franchise has 14 KFC outlets including restaurants in Mansfield, Chesterfield and the UK's largest purpose-built KFC drive- through in Glasshoughton, West Yorkshire.

Richard Marsden, the retiring managing director of Marsden Caterers, which has run the franchise since 1980, said Mr Adil would ensure the franchise had a "secure and dynamic" future.

Mr Adil's family have been in the fast food business for 30 years, and he already operates 13 KFC franchises in the Midlands.

Mr Adil said: "We have doubled the number of franchises we operate in one stroke and at the same time extended the geographical spread of our operations. We now have a business with a combined turnover in excess of Pounds 40m and look forward to developing the business further with the existing management team in place."

John Farnsworth and David Crump of Smith Cooper Corporate Finance, a division of advisory firm Smith Cooper, advised the Marsden family on the sale of the company.

Mr Crump added: "Despite the onset of the much publicised retail recession and credit crun-ch, we were extremely satisfied with the outcome of the deal."

The seller's legal advisers were Bob Harrap, Andrew Francey and Victoria Gartland of Lupton Fawcett, Leeds.

View all KFC Press Releases

This article has been read 115 times.

Printer Friendly