KUALA TERENGGANU: Malaysian owned Chicken Cottage, the famed halal British brand, has plans to spread its wings worldwide with new outlets in the Middle-East, Africa, central Europe, Asia and the Asean region.
Announcing its ambitious plans, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Razif Abdul Rahman said that among the new destinations earmarked are Mecca and Jeddah in Saudia Arabia, especially to cater for the millions of haj pilgrims to the holy land annually.
"Being Britain's largest halal fast-food brand, it is destined to be a big hit as Chicken Cottage is already renowned in the Middle-East with existing outlets in Dubai (UAE), Doha (Qatar), Iraq, Algeria, Pakistan, France, Slovakia, South Africa, Libya, Sweden and Italy.
"Now, we are about to clinch franchise deals in Nigeria, China, India, Russia, the Balkan states and the Asean region to add on to the existing 151 international outlets," he said at the launch of Chicken Cottage's first outlet in Malaysia in Jalan Sultan Zainal Abidin.
Present were Terengganu Incorporated (TI) Global Food Management Ltd chairman Datuk Wan Ismail Wan Yusof and its managing director Khalizan Mahmud, whose company bought over the brand from its British owners last year.
TI Sdn Berhad is the state government's investment arm that has diversified interests in a multitude of businesses helmed by the Menteri Besar.
Several years ago, TI and Global Food Brand Limited from Croydon, Surrey set up TI Global Food Holdings Limited via a 70:30 joint venture on Chicken Cottage which had opened its first outlet in Wembly, London in 1994.
It became a 100 per cent Malaysian entity in February last year.
To demonstrate its seriousness in venturing into the fast-food chain, the Kuala Terengganu outlet opened its doors to the public today (Thursday) after only one-and-a-half months of preparation.
"We will have 50 outlets nationwide, including 15 in Terengganu, within five years. We will also have a drive-through outlet near the draw-bridge at Dataran Shahbandar.
"One of the locations earmarked is the Sultan Mahmud Airport which will have an I-Kitchen serving authentic Terengganu food, while several others will be located at strategic points like shopping malls, including the Paya Bunga Square, and also along the East Coast Highway rest areas in the future.
"Of particular interest is the test kitchen in Chendering which will collaborate with Universiti Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin in Gong Badak to carry out research and development and training for skilled workers and entrepreneurs," said Razif.
Razif said with Chicken Cottage's birth in Terengganu, the state now can boast of famous fast-food outlets like KFC, McDonalds, Nando's A&W and mamak restaurans that offer a variety of local and western mixes.
"On our part, the state government will soon market frozen traditional dishes like nasi dagang and keropok lekor that can be readily eaten after a few minutes of micro-wave cooking.
"Mydin Supermarket has agreed to be our main distributor," he said.
On another note, Razif said the reclaimed land area at Dataran Shahbandar would be transformed into a food and shopping paradise, complete with a roof-top international-class seafood restaurant.
"The federal government has allocated a RM76 million grant to develop the area to have a hotel, bazaar warisan and night market. The old Pasar Payang will also move here.