EG acquires 170 food outlets in UK, Ireland and Australia

Blackburn-based Euro Garages has announced two new acquisitions which will add 170 food retailers and more than 4,000 employees to its worldwide group.

The first deal sees the company acquire Belfast-headquartered The Herbert Group, which operates 146 KFC restaurants and 1 Pizza Hut, as well as a development pipeline and a small number of non-trading sites.

Zuber Issa, founder and co-CEO of the EG Group, said: "Securing The Herbert Group portfolio is well aligned to our long-term strategic growth plans and builds on our commitment to grow the EG Group’s presence in the food-to-go retail convenience segment.

"The Herbert Group portfolio is a great strategic addition and complements our expanding operations in the United Kingdom and furthermore, now allows us entry into the Irish market.”

EG has also entered into a binding agreement to take on Oliver's, the Sydney-based chain of healthy-eating restaurants, of which there are 24 in Australia. 

The deal will be worth around £14m and is expected to complete later this year, pending approval from Oliver’s shareholders and the country's courts.

Mike McMenamin, CEO of EG Australia, said: “Oliver’s has developed a strong following in Australia, and has been very well received by our customers in trials at a number of our stores. This acquisition presents a great opportunity for us to enter the Australian restaurant market and the potential to enhance our convenience offer across our 500+ store network."

In total, the EG Group now operates 1,500 food and drink-to-go units across across the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Germany, United States of America and Australia.

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