Counting chickens
ZEENAT MOORAD: Get ready for a chicken fight as Popeyes roosts in SA
Why Popeyes' entry into SA is a big threat to local fried chicken segment
Popeyes Louisiana Chicken is coming to SA. Fast-food connoisseurs or unapologetic fans of greasy comfort food will need no introduction, but for the rest, the brand is a global player in the fried chicken segment of the quick service restaurant industry. Its rivals are KFC and Church’s Chicken. This might interest you: Beyoncé reportedly served Popeyes at her wedding. If that didn’t, this will: Popeyes is owned by Restaurant Brands International (RBI), the company formed from the 2014 merger of Burger King and Tim Hortons. RBI is controlled by Brazilian private equity firm 3G Capital and, to a lesser extent, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. They forked out US$1.8bn for Popeyes earlier this year after the epic Unilever buyout flop. Remember, 3G owns Kraft Heinz, which is struggling to increase revenues and is looking for a big, “consumery” deal to keep growing amid a packaged foods industry slowdown. It was, I believe, the first time 3G had been told to shove off. Popeyes, which ...
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