Burger King Worldwide Inc. (BKW) plans to ramp up expansion in South Africa after opening its first restaurant in the country and enter other parts of the continent to take advantage of a growing middle class. The company plans to open about 12 branches in South Africa next year as it seeks to tap into the country’s fast-food market, Jaye Sinclair, CEO, Burger King South Africa, said, as per a report by Janice Kew in Bloomberg. It will then seek to expand in other African countries.
The maker of the Whopper burger partnered with Cape Town-headquartered Grand Parade Investments Ltd. to set up Burger King South Africa and opened its first local outlet in Cape Town last month.
“The South African consumer is looking for value. There are many households where both partners work, so the demand for quick food climbs,” Sinclair explained. The Whopper sells for ZAR 23.90, compared with the ZAR 22.95 price of McDonald’s signature Big Mac burger.
While South Africa’s middle class has almost doubled in eight years and is “attractive”, the company is already looking to expand in the rest of the continent, Sinclair said.