Malaysia's Berjaya Food Signs MoU To Further Strengthen Position In India

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) – Malaysia-based Berjaya Food (BFood) Bhd will further cement its presence in the Indian market with the opening of 30 Kenny Rogers Roasters (KRR) restaurants and 75 Jollibean kiosks through its development agent, World Iconic Brand (WIB) Hospitality Pvt Ltd India. Following the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed between the two companies on Wednesday, WIB would be allocating US$50 million to open branches in Hyderabad, Kerala, Goa and Tamil Nadu. BFood Group Chief Executive Officer Sydney Quays said the company sees better opportunities in India where demand for healthy food is growing significantly. “We also see a shift in customers’ spending pattern for food and beverages. As for Jollibean, this India venture would be the first expansion for the brand, as the brand has a presence only in Singapore,” he told a press conference after the MoU signing. Berjaya Food had previously appointed Troika Hospitality India LLP as the master franchisee of the chicken-based restaurant in October 2016, with the latter aiming to open 50 outlets within five years. To date, there is only one KRR restaurant in India, located in Chandigarh. Cumulatively, there are about 200 KRR restaurants spread in Malaysia, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, the Philippines and Dubai. WIB Managing Director Gaurav Marya said the opening of Jollibean is timely with soybean’s popularity in the Indian market. “We hope that this venture will be fruitful and through this partnership with BFood, we are hoping to work closely together over the long term,” he said. -- BERNAMA