CHICKEN ROCKS: KFC IS EXPANDING IN ESTONIA AND PLAN TO OPEN OVER 20 RESTAURANTS IN THE BALTICS IN 3 YEARS

Tallinn, Estonia, November 29, 2019-  Today, Yum! Brands (KFC) and Apollo Group, its franchising partner in the Baltics, held a gala ceremony to launch the KFC brand in Estonia. The first KFC restaurant in Estonia was opened at the end of October and is extremely popular among guests: since the first day, more than 50, 000 people have visited it. The partners plan to open more than 20 restaurants over the next three years in the Baltics, employing over 800 people, who will be trained according to KFC’s international standards and will have opportunities to build their careers in the international organization. The partners confirmed that their strict focus will be on providing high quality meals with KFC’s original world-famous taste and employee development.

The KFC brand is developing extremely quickly in the Central and Eastern European region, and the Baltics, including Estonia, is playing a growing role.

“Estonia is enjoying robust economic growth, is developing innovations and technologies and is attracting international brands by creating enabling conditions for business. It is an important market for the further development of KFC and we have big growth plans in the country. While expanding the KFC chain, we will focus on high standards of food quality, the legendary taste of our meals and worldwide programs for KFC employees’ further development,” saidOleg Pisklov, Managing Director, KFC Central and Eastern Europe.

Technology and digital are important parts of KFC’s strategy - the first restaurant in Estonia is equipped with digital kiosks and menu. KFC in Estonia, as everywhere, is set up to provide affordable, tasty meals of the highest quality.

“A month after the first restaurant was opened, it was already clear how much Estonians love the KFC brand: There is still a flow of guests coming in to the restaurant for world-famous KFC meals, incl. those coming back for dishes they loved as well as those coming to try it for the first time. We already see that KFC is a perfect fit with Estonian tastes. We intend to work hard to ensure the best customer experience and a strong appreciation from our customers of KFC’s meals,” said Jaanus Vihand, CEO of Apollo Group.

KFC provides a central supply of chicken from Lithuania; other products come from European suppliers. In the future, KFC is eager to consider local suppliers and work with them to ensure that all of KFC’s quality requirements are met. KFC in Estonia, as everywhere, is set up to provide affordable, tasty meals of the highest quality.

The launch of KFC in Estonia not only means the creation of new jobs and tax income for the local budget - it confirms the attractiveness of Estonia and the Baltics in general as a place to invest. Moreover, KFC is actively involved in the life of the local communities in which it operates, developing volunteering initiatives and programmes of assistance for low-income people. KFC’s team plans to launch socially impactful initiatives in Estonia too.

Apollo Group will also include KFC restaurants in its loyalty program in all Baltic countries which offers considerable savings for active users of the services provided by Apollo movie theaters, O’Leary’s entertainment centers, Blender juice bars, Apollo bookstores and the group’s other entertainment units.

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About KFC:

KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.), is a global chicken restaurant brand with a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation. It all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. Today we still follow his formula for success, with real cooks breading and freshly preparing our delicious chicken by hand in more than 23,000 restaurants in over 140 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit www.kfceesti.ee

About Apollo Group:

Apollo Group is a holding company that owns Apollo bookstores, Apollo movie theaters, O’Leary’s entertainment centers, Blender juice bars and IceCafe ice cream cafes, as well as film distributor Baltic Film Distribution. Apollo Group is majority owned by Margus Linnamäe and Ivar Vendelin.