By Libya Herald reporters.
Tripoli, 5 October 2014:
KFC has responded angrily to the appearance of a fast food outlet in Tobruk which . . .[restrict]is claiming falsely to be an official franchise. It intends to sue the owners.
“We are shocked with the news that a KFC outlet has opened in Tobruk,” Everett Fieldgate of US-based Yum Brands Inc. which owns the KFC brand, told the Libya Herald “No franchise rights have been granted to any party in Libya”.
This newspaper had carried a picture of a roadside hoarding being erected to announce the opening of the new “KFC” outlet. The story noted that fast-food eateries in Libya that passed themselves off as well-known franchises were not unusual. The leading legitimate international eatery brand in Libya is Cinnabon, which opened in Tripoli in 2012.
Everett said that Yum Brands, which also licences the Taco Bell and Pizza Hut franchises, would be seeking to stop the phoney Tobruk operation. “We are in contact with local authorities and external advisers and will be filing a legal action against the company and individuals claiming to have rights to open KFC”.
[/restrict]
