Taste Holdings will add a chicken franchise to its stable of food brands that include Scooters Pizza, Maxi’s, St Elmo’s Woodfired Pizza and The Fish & Chip Co with the acquisition of Zebro’s Chicken for R17 million. The acquisition of Zebro’s will offer potential and existing Taste franchisees another investment opportunity with low start-up costs aimed at the lower income segment. It follows Taste’s strategy for acquiring businesses with a significant overlap to its existing vertical integration capacity in manufacturing and distribution and is complimentary to its existing Fish & Chip Co brand which boasts more than 300 franchised stores nationally and voted the number one fish brand for 2013 in the annual Sunday Times brand survey.
Zebro’s is a 15-year old brand with 40 outlets mainly in the Western and Eastern Cape and has the unique preparation model of preparing their products over an open fire similar to a braai. The core menu includes chicken on the bone, chicken burgers, Russian-style sausages, fresh-cut chips and assorted salads competitively priced for the lower-income consumers.
Reference: The Franchise Association of South Africa – www.fasa.co.za.