Kenya’s own leading casual dining chain, Big Square, has accomplished yet another milestone in its strategic expansion program, by officially opening its 12th outlet at Shell Service Station in Mountain View.
The new outlet, which cost Kes.45 million is part of the restaurant chain’s plan to bring an outlet closer to more of the people of Nairobi., The new branch occupies 4,000 sq. ft with a seating capacity of 150 customers.
Speaking on Big Square’s strategic expansion program and the launch of the new outlet, Sebastian McKinlay Managing Director, Interstrat Limited, Big Square’s parent company said: “An increasingly globalized environment and Kenya’s growing population and economy is fuelling demand for new retail formats that meet consumers preferences and aspirations. Based on these insights, we are deliberately forging partnerships such as this so that we realize our growth strategies at the same time creating memorable experiences for our customers through great food and great service. We are committed to ensuring that we do have all Kenyans make Big Square, their Square.”
The restaurant chain has now opened 12 outlets since it began its operations in 2012. In the last 9 months, Big Square has opened 5 new outlets with 2 in Nairobi CBD, 1 at Two Rivers Mall, 1 in Mombasa and now Mountain View. The company has disclosed that it will continue to look out for strategic new locations in Nairobi and across the country to meet the growing demands of the city’s population.
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Speaking at the same launch event, Millicent Ndirangu, Head of Convenience Retail, Vivo Energy Kenya said that the partnership is timely and significant to the companies ‘customers as it will enable it to diversify its retail services and ensure that customers from both companies get added value.
“Vivo Energy Kenya is committed to entering strategic partnerships that meet the ever-changing needs of our customers. We are keen on being part of the everyday life of our customers. Customers are always on the go and they want to consume products and services in the most convenient and stress-free way. We will continue to partner with companies such as Big Square so that we deliver value to our customers,” said Ms Ndirangu.
Shareholding of Big Square is a combination of local and foreign investors including Uqalo, a South -African based private equity fund that invested Kes.400 million into the restaurant chain last year. The capital injection by Uqalo is aimed at achieving the group’s plans of operating over 20 outlets within the next three years. Uqalo, which targets investments located in East Africa is primarily funded by Hong Kong-based supply chain and logistics conglomerate Fung Group.
